fledgling

especially British, fledge·ling

[flej-ling]

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

/ ˈflɛdʒlɪŋ /

noun

1. a young bird that has just fledged

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

fledgling

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fledgling¹

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

Example Sentences

The British entrepreneur is among a new crop of European tech founders seeking to raise their first checks across the Atlantic, and in some cases moving their fledgling businesses there too.

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The row over the membership portal has revealed deep splits in the fledgling party, which was launched in July and is due to hold its founding conference in November.

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Mondek passed an additional two weeks in the hospital to protect his fledgling and vulnerable immune system.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Simultaneously, Redford continued to direct, including A River Runs Through It - which gave a career boost to a fledgling Brad Pitt - and The Legend of Bagger Vance, the last film to feature Jack Lemmon.

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It illustrates the great promise of a messy, fledgling democracy striving to achieve a certain kind of equality and to establish a new form of government responsive to the will of its people.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chick 
• nestling