fledgling

American  

[flej-ling] / ˈflɛdʒ lɪŋ /

especially British, fledgeling

noun

1. a young bird just fledged.

2. an inexperienced person.

   Synonyms:

   greenhorn, freshman, beginner, tyro, novice

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adjective

1. young, new, or inexperienced.

   a fledgling diver.

fledgling British  

/ ˈflɛdʒlɪŋ /

noun

1. a young bird that has just fledged

2. 1. a young and inexperienced or untried person, organization or system

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fledgling Scientific  

/ flĕj′lĭng /

1. A young bird that has just grown the feathers needed to fly and is capable of surviving outside the nest.

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Etymology

Origin of fledgling

First recorded in 1820–30; fledge + -ling ¹

Example Sentences

"I love the idea that by the end of this three-year project, revellers and runners will have created a fledgling Welsh forest, which could flourish for hundreds of years," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Goldhaber recalls the summer in the early 2010s he spent as a content moderator for a fledgling internet company a “fundamental point of inspiration.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

She pitched it to Lichtenberg and his now-manager at Fortune, Ashley Lutz, who experimented with the fledgling technology, but the initial results were unsatisfactory and the test was discontinued.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

He reached the upper echelons of the military establishment in the late 1990s when he became commander of the Guards' fledgling aerospace forces.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

Greater shape and clarity, of course, was what the fledgling record industry preferred to long-winded periods of virtuoso meandering.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• chick
• nestling