undeveloped

adjective

un·​de·​vel·​oped ˌən-di-ˈve-ləpt 

-dē-

: not developed : lacking in development

undeveloped natural resources

undeveloped potential

undeveloped film

undeveloped seeds

: such as

a

: not used for building, farming, industry, etc.

undeveloped land

an area of undeveloped wilderness

b

: having a relatively low level of industrialization and standard of living

undeveloped countries/nations

Examples of undeveloped in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Roadless Rule was adopted in 2001 after years of public debate over how much of the country’s remaining undeveloped national forest land should be protected from roads and commercial development. — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

At 16 feet, flooding of low-lying undeveloped areas along the creek begins. — Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026

Back then, the town was a rural, rapidly industrializing fringe of Hangzhou with a largely undeveloped archaeological site that featured Neolithic tombs and settlements buried deep beneath farmland. — Afra Wang, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2026

Greenland Mines, meanwhile, is a natural resources company working on the Skaergaard Project, which ranks among the world’s largest undeveloped palladium, gold and platinum deposits. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for undeveloped

• underdeveloped
• developed
• enveloped
• redeveloped

Medical Definition

undeveloped

adjective

un·​de·​vel·​oped ˌən-di-ˈvel-əpt 

: lacking in development : not developed

physiologically undeveloped