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

Back when The County Buzz, a tax-exempt nonprofit, still had a functioning website in 2007, an IRS filing shows the fledgling organization that year raised only $122 – putting it $1,000 in the red. —Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024

In today’s noisy landscape, initial efforts to get a fledgling client noticed may fall short. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

The fledgling church has struggled to get on its feet financially, Granillo said. —Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 10 Dec. 2024

Freshman center Derik Queen scored a career-high 26 points for the Terps, grabbed 12 rebounds for the fourth double-double of his fledgling year, and blocked two shots. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 8 Dec. 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