fledgling

American  

[flej-ling] / ˈflɛdʒ lɪŋ /

especially British, fledgeling

noun

• fledglings
  plural

1. a young bird just fledged.

2. an inexperienced person.

   Synonyms:

   greenhorn, freshman, beginner, tyro, novice

---

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

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fledglings
  plural

---

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

See Examples For:

fledgling fledglings

She and her husband also pay homage to these unsung cultural hubs in the latest edition of their fledgling zine, which they’ve dubbed “a gallery you can hold.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Deep-sea mining seeks to tap previously untouched seabed deposits of a range of commodities, including cobalt and nickel, but the fledgling industry has long been stalled by environmental concerns.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

But the fledgling state-owned enterprise’s role and functions are still fuzzy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Internet users have proven they’ll make a habit of swinging by these fledgling new spaces — if the conversation is interesting enough.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Greater shape and clarity, of course, was what the fledgling record industry preferred to long-winded periods of virtuoso meandering.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Their fledglings are about one third lighter, even though the warmest days they experience reach similar temperatures of about 16-17ºC.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 12, 2026

The early seeds of Owens Viani’s work on the issue began around 2011, when a neighbor ran over to tell her that Cooper’s hawk fledglings had drowned in his kiddie pool.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2024

Like a loving mother, Tan watches in delight as fledglings learn how to get get food from her patio cage feeders, She worries whether they’ll be affected by smoke from fires in California’s north.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2024

Birdhouse owners say that they wait until the fledglings have left the nest before they harvest and that neither the parents nor their babies are harmed.

From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2024

Nesting usually occurred between February and July, but fledglings had been observed in dens as late as October Systematically, Roy scrolled down the search items one by one until he finally hit the jackpot.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• chick
• nestling

---