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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

adjective

  1. young, new, or inexperienced.

    a fledgling diver.
fledgling British  
/ ˈflɛdʒlɪŋ /

noun

  1. 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
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.

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Appeared in the May 7, 2026, print edition as 'A Fledgling Nation’s Friend'.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Fledgling Indian artificial intelligence companies showcased homegrown technologies this week at a major summit in New Delhi, underpinning big dreams of becoming a global AI power.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

Fledgling as it was, LittlePuss was able to get its book into stores through a company called Small Press Distribution, and LittlePuss has grown steadily since.

From New York Times • Apr. 17, 2024

Fledgling technology startups need to hire skilled scientists and engineers to bring their cutting-edge products from the proverbial Silicon Valley garage to the market.

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

Dan saw the danger, and the shouts of those on the Fledgling told him that they had seen it too.

From Dan Merrithew by McFall, J. V.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.