fledgling

noun

fledg·​ling ˈflej-liŋ 

often attributive

1

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

a bird feeding her fledglings

2

: an immature or inexperienced person

fledgling medical students

3

: one that is new

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

Meanwhile, Lucas was pushing Coppola to do a studio film for hire to keep his fledgling Zoetrope Studio afloat, making Coppola feel pressured to sell out. —Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026

The streamer is developing Townhouse, which comes from fledgling writer Zoe Young and 20th Television with Handler also exec producing. —Peter White, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026

Tesla’s fledgling robotaxi service logged five new crashes in December and January, bringing the total to 14 since launching in Austin, Texas, last summer. —Jordyn Grzelewski, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026

For the former’s Patricia Bonaldi, that’s extending to her fledgling shoe business, which is getting a strong commercial response in her home market of Brazil. —James Manso, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 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