# developmental

/dɪˌvɛɫəpˈmɛnəɫ/ (US) · /dɪvˈɛləpmˈɛntəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/developmental
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. growth and progress

adjective · CEFR B2 · Academic

related to the way something grows, changes, or improves over time.

For teachers: relating to the systematic process of growth, maturation, or evolution in a person, project, or organism.

- The doctor checked the child's developmental milestones to make sure she was growing well.
- The study tracks developmental changes in cognitive processing from early childhood through adolescence to identify critical windows for learning.

Usage: Often used in psychology, biology, and business contexts to describe stages of progress.

### 2. experimental or early stage

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

related to the early stages of making or testing a new product.

For teachers: relating to the experimental or preliminary stage of a product or system's lifecycle.

- The company is still in the developmental phase of its new electric car engine.
- The aircraft is currently undergoing developmental testing to ensure the new wing design can withstand extreme turbulence.

Usage: Commonly used in engineering and pharmaceutical industries.

### 3. a trainee

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a person who is still learning a job, especially a flight controller.

For teachers: a professional trainee, specifically used within aviation to refer to a student air traffic controller.

- The developmental spent the afternoon practicing landings on the flight simulator.
- As a developmental at the busy regional hub, he was required to complete five hundred hours of supervised radar operation before certification.

Usage: This noun sense is highly specific to the aviation industry.

## Examples

- The doctor tracks the child's developmental milestones.
- The new software is still in the developmental stage and requires extensive testing before its public release.
- Psychologists study developmental changes across the human lifespan to understand how cognitive abilities and social behaviors shift from infancy through old age.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.