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

• 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

Illustration: Marcos Silva/Getty Images China, India, and Japan are not the only countries on the Asian continent looking to establish themselves in the fledgling space economy. —Javier Carbajal, Wired News, 23 July 2025

Then a famous childhood friend wore it on his new TV series and orders poured in to Curran’s fledgling clothing brand. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2025

But Vertical Aerospace is also facing the same financial headwinds that have sunk other companies in the fledgling eVTOL sector. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 18 July 2025

Its job was to find fledgling technology companies with interesting ideas and give them contracts. —Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025

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