fledgling

American  

[flej-ling] / ˈflɛdʒ lɪŋ /

especially British, fledgeling

noun

1. a young bird just fledged.

2. an inexperienced person.

   Synonyms:

   greenhorn, freshman, beginner, tyro, novice

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adjective

1. young, new, or inexperienced.

   a fledgling diver.

fledgling British  

/ ˈflɛdʒlɪŋ /

noun

1. a young bird that has just fledged

2. 1. a young and inexperienced or untried person, organization or system

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fledgling Scientific  

/ flĕj′lĭng /

1. A young bird that has just grown the feathers needed to fly and is capable of surviving outside the nest.

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Etymology

Origin of fledgling

First recorded in 1820–30; fledge + -ling ¹

Explanation

A fledgling is a fuzzy baby bird just learning to fly, or someone (like a baby bird) who's brand new at doing something. Awww. If you're not talking about a baby bird, fledgling is often used as an adjective describing a new participant in something, like a fledgling senator still learning the ropes of how to legislate, or a fledgling drama program trying to build audiences for its plays. It can also mean inexperienced and young, like the fledgling photographer for the school paper who accidentally erases all the pictures. If you're British, spell it fledgeling if you like — both spellings are correct.

Example Sentences

It could be a turning point for the fledgling government, but it’s very unclear in what direction.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

For a fledgling artist like Bailey Zabaglio, who most commonly performs electrocrash music at small house shows, Unusual Tuesday can be a time to experiment with other genres outside of their comfort zone.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

But as trading relationships began opening back up through the first half of the decade, fledgling pistachio growers in the U.S. took issue with the volume and low price of Iranian pistachio imports.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

Then, just a year later, Jack Dorsey hired her as the chief financial officer of Square, a fledgling payments startup with only a few hundred employees.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

Otherwise he lay quiet like a bruised fledgling, with the dry, parched lips of exhaustion and a body which could struggle no more.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Related Words

• chick
• nestling