fledgling

noun

fledg·​ling ˈflej-liŋ 

often attributive

1

: a young bird just fledged (see fledge sense 1)

a female bird feeding her fledglings

2

: an immature or inexperienced person

fledgling medical students

3

: one that is new

a fledgling company

Synonyms

• abecedarian
• apprentice
• babe
• beginner
• colt
• cub
• freshman
• greenhorn
• neophyte
• newbie
• newcomer
• novice
• novitiate
• punk
• recruit
• rook
• rookie
• tenderfoot
• tyro
• virgin

Examples of fledgling in a Sentence

a female bird feeding her fledglings

at hockey he's still a fledgling and needs to work on his basic skating skills

Recent Examples on the Web

Ionizing hydrogen requires high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light, and the sparse, fledgling galaxies did not seem up to the task. —Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 10 Sep. 2024

Catch up quick: Duppa is credited with giving the fledgling city its name. —Jeremy Duda, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024

On remote beaches, the fledgling relationships are put to the test as couples live together and fend for themselves with few resources. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2024

This is pretty much Bieber’s off-duty template: a sort of fledgling tomboy that might have played the anti-hero in a ’90s coming-of-age movie. —Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fledgling

noun

fledg·​ling ˈflej-liŋ 

1

: a young bird just fledged

2

: an immature or inexperienced person