immature or undersized relating to societies in which both the surplus capital and the social organization necessary to advance are lacking (of a film, plate, or print) processed in developer for less than the required time, thus lacking in contrast
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
un•der•de•vel•oped /ˌʌndɚdɪˈvɛləpt/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- improperly developed;
not developed enough. - Photography(of a photographic negative) less developed than is normal, so as to produce a relatively dark picture that does not show good contrast.
- developing (def. 2):underdeveloped countries.
un•der•de•vel•oped
(un′dər di vel′əpt),USA pronunciation adj.
- improperly or insufficiently developed.
- Photography(of a negative) less developed than is normal, so as to produce a relatively dark positive lacking in contrast.
- developing (def. 2).
- under- + develop + -ed2 1890–95
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
un•der•de•vel•op
(un′dər di vel′əp),USA pronunciation v.t.
un′der•de•vel′op•ment, n.
- Photographyto develop (something) short of the required amount:to underdevelop film.
- under- + develop
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
- (transitive)
to process (a film, plate, or paper) in developer for less than the required time, or at too low a temperature, or in an exhausted solution
'underdeveloped' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Food and Agriculture Organization
- Peace Corps
- Third World
- backward
- delink
- embryonic
- green revolution
- imperfect
- navel orange
- neuter
- nymph
- soldier
- worker