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fledgling

[flej-ling]
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noun

a young bird just fledged.
an inexperienced person.

adjective

young, new, or inexperienced: a fledgling diver.

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RELATED WORDS

tenderfoot, learner, colt, trainee, novice, neophyte, newcomer, rookie, chick, greenhorn, tyro, apprentice, nestling

Nearby words

  1. flection,
  2. fled,
  3. fledermaus, die,
  4. fledge,
  5. fledged,
  6. fledgy,
  7. flee,
  8. fleece,
  9. fleece-vine,
  10. fleeced
Also especially British, fledge·ling.

Origin of fledgling

First recorded in 1820–30; fledge + -ling1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fledgling

British Dictionary definitions for fledgling

fledgling

fledgeling

noun

a young bird that has just fledged
  1. a young and inexperienced or untried person, organization or system
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for fledgling

fledgling

1830 (adj.), 1846 as a noun meaning "young bird," from fledge + diminutive suffix -ling. Of persons, from 1856.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for fledgling

fledgling

[flĕj′lĭng]

A young bird that has just grown the feathers needed to fly and is capable of surviving outside the nest.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.