developments

1. act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refiningExamples: "he congratulated them on their development of a plan to meet the emergency"; "they funded research and development"Synonyms: development

2. a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)Examples: "the development of his ideas took many years"; "the evolution of Greek civilization"; "the slow development of her skill as a writer"Synonyms: development, evolutionAntonyms: devolution

3. (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex levelExamples: "he proposed an indicator of osseous development in children"Synonyms: development, growing, growth, maturation, ontogenesis, ontogenyAntonyms: nondevelopment

4. a recent event that has some relevance for the present situationExamples: "recent developments in Iraq"; "what a revolting development!"Synonyms: development

5. the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or usefulExamples: "the development of Alaskan resources"; "the exploitation of copper deposits"Synonyms: development, exploitation

6. a district that has been developed to serve some purposeExamples: "such land is practical for small park developments"Synonyms: development