fledgling

noun

fledg·​ling ˈflej-liŋ 

1

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

a bird feeding her fledglings

2

: an immature or inexperienced person

—often used before another noun

fledgling medical students

3

: one that is new

—often used before another noun

a fledgling company

Synonyms of fledgling

• novice
• newcomer
• beginner
• apprentice
• freshman
• rookie

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

Utopai has amassed an extensive slate of projects, both completely AI-generated and AI-enabled, for a fledgling studio. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

One of the newly unemployed is Olivia Siffre (Rachel Keller), a fledgling lawyer who recently moved to California to get away from her hovering, hyper-religious parents. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

To finance his fledgling brand, Journe revived Abraham-Louis Breguet’s subscription model, taking deposits from 20 collectors for a watch that didn’t yet exist. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026

The fledgling distributor has acquired several other festival and award-nominated movies ahead of MIPCOM. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

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