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Definition of "underdeveloped" []

  • Not adequately or normally developed; immature: underdeveloped leaves and flowers. (adjective)
  • Processed in too weak a developing solution, or for too short a time, or at too low a temperature to produce a normal degree of contrast. Used of film. (adjective)
  • Having a low level of economic productivity and technological sophistication within the contemporary range of possibility; developing: underdeveloped countries. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "underdeveloped" in a sentence
  • "Van Praagh says there are people who claim to be mediums who have what he calls underdeveloped abilities."
  • "The challenge is especially daunting, considering that 55 percent of the population remains in underdeveloped rural areas where local governments have scarce budgetary and technical resources."
  • "Likewise, allowing skyscrapers in underdeveloped areas such as Anacostia might encourage investment there and would do so without impacting the character of the city's monumental core."