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
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
He was expected to emphasize the key themes of his fledgling pontificate, and follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Francis, who used his platform to draw attention to conflicts around the world.
—
Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
In One Battle After Another, Chase Infiniti declares her presence as a fledgling actress worthy of deep consideration and praise, holding her own against more experienced cast members.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Next, the fledgling production company will look to ancient Greece for inspiration — adapting the myth of the goddess Hera as a live-action series created by Corcoran.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Nov. 2025
Foremost among them is Jeremiah Dunmire (Robert Patrick), the aforementioned liquor magnate who begins the season attempting to buy a fledgling distillery owned by Theo Montague (Brett Rice).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
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Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
In One Battle After Another, Chase Infiniti declares her presence as a fledgling actress worthy of deep consideration and praise, holding her own against more experienced cast members.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
Next, the fledgling production company will look to ancient Greece for inspiration — adapting the myth of the goddess Hera as a live-action series created by Corcoran.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Nov. 2025
Foremost among them is Jeremiah Dunmire (Robert Patrick), the aforementioned liquor magnate who begins the season attempting to buy a fledgling distillery owned by Theo Montague (Brett Rice).
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
Cite this Entry
“Fledgling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fledgling. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fledgling
noun
fledg·ling
ˈflej-liŋ 
1
: a young bird just fledged
2
: an immature or inexperienced person
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