Picking a develop synonym starts with what is being developed: an app wants build or design, a child or a market wants grow or evolve, and a skill wants improve, hone or cultivate. Each points at a different stage of the process.
Our guide lists another word for develop in five senses, words for developing as an adjective, resume verbs, and a few swaps that look right but quietly shift the meaning.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
build, grow, create, improve, evolvePart of speech
Verb (developing is also an adjective)Most formal
formulate, cultivate, deviseMost casual
come up with, work on, pick upBest for skills
hone, sharpen, refineAntonyms
shrink, decline, stagnateWatch out
Contract fits illnesses only. You contract a fever, not a skill.Word forms covered
develops, developed, developing
Five senses, five sets of words
| What develops | Words | Example |
|---|---|---|
| People, towns, markets | grow, evolve, mature | The village grew into a busy town. |
| Products, plans | create, design, devise | They devised a new filing system. |
| Skills, talents | improve, hone, cultivate | He honed his public speaking. |
| Illness, habits | contract, pick up, form | She picked up a cough on the trip. |
| Events, stories | unfold, emerge, arise | A problem arose overnight. |
Notice that only the second row involves someone making something. The others describe change that happens over time.
Stages of a skill: reading the chips
The strip at the top follows a skill from first steps to mastery. You begin a skill with a class, build it with practice, strengthen it through feedback, refine the details and finally perfect it. Perfect is a big claim, so use it sparingly.
In a review or a learning plan, naming the stage shows you understand where someone really stands. Refining her presentation style says more than developing it.
Resume verbs that beat developed
Recruiters see developed on nearly every resume, which is why it fades into the page. Swap it based on what you actually did.
- Built or engineered for software and systems.
- Designed for layouts, programs and courses.
- Launched for anything that went public.
- Formulated for strategies and policies.
- Cultivated for client relationships.
- Pioneered for something nobody had done before.
For more, open build synonyms or see the career section, resume and work words.
Real sentences with a develop synonym
- We developed a new app becomes we built a new app.
- Her confidence developed over the year becomes her confidence grew over the year.
- The team developed a plan becomes the team drew up a plan.
- He developed an allergy becomes he acquired an allergy.
- Developing leadership skills becomes cultivating leadership skills.
- The story develops slowly becomes the story unfolds slowly.
A school report reads: "Sam has developed well and developed his reading." Rewritten: "Sam has matured this term and his reading has improved a great deal." The two ideas, growing up and getting better at a skill, now have their own words.
A developing synonym for countries and careers
As an adjective, developing means still growing. For a person or field, try emerging, budding or up-and-coming: a budding chef. For a project, evolving or in progress works.
For nations, developing country is the standard term. Some writers prefer lower-income country or emerging economy, which describe the economy more exactly. Avoid older labels that now sound dismissive.
Look alikes that miss the mark
Expand is about size, so a company can expand without developing new ideas. Invent means creating something new from scratch, which is stronger than developing an existing design. Enhance means making something that already exists better, not starting it. And progress as a verb is mostly intransitive: things progress, you do not progress a project in careful writing.
For the noun, see development synonyms.
Antonyms of develop
Stagnate means staying still when growth was expected. Decline, deteriorate and regress mean getting worse or going backward. Wither and shrink are vivid, physical opposites, and abandon is the opposite of developing a plan.
- Without investment, the town's economy stagnated.
- His fitness regressed during the long winter.
Frequently asked questions
Which verbs beat developed on a CV?
Engineered, launched, formulated, designed and pioneered all stand out. Choose the verb that shows what you personally did.
What is a synonym for develop a skill?
Hone, sharpen, refine and build are the best. Hone and sharpen suggest polishing a skill you already have.
Is evolve the same as develop?
Close, but evolve suggests slow, natural change over a long time. Develop can also be fast and planned.
What does develop mean for an illness?
It means to start having it. People usually say contract, catch or come down with.
What is the opposite of develop?
Stagnate, decline and regress are the most common. Stagnate means not growing, while regress means going backward.
Which is more formal, develop or formulate?
Formulate is more formal and fits plans, policies and theories. Develop works in almost every register.