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

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of fledgling

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

Example Sentences

Goldhaber recalls the summer in the early 2010s he spent as a content moderator for a fledgling internet company a “fundamental point of inspiration.”

From Los Angeles Times

A mama robin hops after her fledgling, her offering of food dangling from her beak.

From Literature

He’s shown a tender, encouraging side in his support of his fledgling golfer son, Charlie.

From The Wall Street Journal

According to Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, Wayne, an engineer at the Atari video game company, was in charge of hardware engineering and documentation in the fledgling business.

From Barron's

He reached the upper echelons of the military establishment in the late 1990s when he became commander of the Guards' fledgling aerospace forces.

From Barron's

Related Words

• chick
• nestling