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
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
Schumer marveled at the camera sweeping from the golden fields to the blue sky, symbolizing the fledgling Superman’s look toward the future.
—
Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2025
Set to open its doors in 2026, the future Wisconsin Film Office has a business side to its pitch – but Deming describes more of a seed fund for a fledgling indie film scene.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 July 2025
Payne is featured as a guest judge in later episodes of the show, joining Destiny’s Child alum Kelly Rowland and Building the Band mentor Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls to help guide the fledgling groups to stardom.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 9 July 2025
The performance received such a tepid review in the San Diego Union that, after reading it, Puckett fired the band, fired his fledgling manager and shelved his comeback attempt.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2025
Set to open its doors in 2026, the future Wisconsin Film Office has a business side to its pitch – but Deming describes more of a seed fund for a fledgling indie film scene.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 July 2025
Payne is featured as a guest judge in later episodes of the show, joining Destiny’s Child alum Kelly Rowland and Building the Band mentor Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls to help guide the fledgling groups to stardom.
—Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 9 July 2025
The performance received such a tepid review in the San Diego Union that, after reading it, Puckett fired the band, fired his fledgling manager and shelved his comeback attempt.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 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 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fledgling
noun
fledg·ling
ˈflej-liŋ 
1
: a young bird just fledged
2
: an immature or inexperienced person
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share