full-fledged
Americanadjective
-
of full rank or standing.
a full-fledged professor.
-
fully developed.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of full-fledged
First recorded in 1880–85
Explanation
Something that's full-fledged is completely developed, or fully qualified. A full-fledged meal, as far as your mom's concerned, might include meat, potatoes, and a vegetable. Things that are whole or complete are full-fledged — a full-fledged case of the flu isn't just a few sniffles and coughs, but requires you to lie in bed with a fever for several days. A full-fledged war involves two countries with a conflict deep enough to inspire violent clashes on both sides. The fledge part of full-fledged comes from the Old English -flycge, "having the feathers" or "fit to fly."
Vocabulary lists containing full-fledged
Where the Red Fern Grows
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Idioms and Expressions, List 4
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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.
Tau’s pivot from robot arms to full-fledged humanoids reflects a broader shift in the robotics landscape.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Hernandez noted that other police technologies, such as a robot dog used in situations involving barricaded suspects, had quietly moved from a pilot to a full-fledged program without input from the council.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
She was also “at least temporarily,” in her words, “a full-fledged movie star,” she wrote in her autobiography “Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
But some analysts see signs that the data center boom is starting to broaden out into a full-fledged U.S. manufacturing renaissance.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
The branches were mostly bare of leaves now, and the squirrels were in full-fledged autumnal hysteria, frantically seeking nuts and burying them everywhere their tiny one-track minds could think of.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
