fledgling

noun

fledg·​ling ˈflej-liŋ How to pronounce fledgling (audio)
often attributive
Synonyms of fledglingnext
1
: a young bird just fledged (see fledge sense 1)
a female bird feeding her fledglings
2
: an immature or inexperienced person
fledgling medical students
3
: one that is new
a fledgling company

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of fledgling in a Sentence

a female bird feeding her fledglings at hockey he's still a fledgling and needs to work on his basic skating skills
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Teeing Off in the Golf World While Johnnie-O wasn't conceived specifically as a golf brand, the sport was a natural entry point for the fledgling company. — Erik Matuszewski, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 The claim concerned the rushed dealing to infuse money into the fledgling league, a rush that deprived DCP of a chance to conduct the type of due diligence that might have spotted some of the problems that later surfaced. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 4 Mar. 2025 And even when the fund attracted a sole lender, Chicago Atlantic, the restrictions attached to the investment served to strangle the fledgling market, shop owners said. — Ashley Southall, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025 From defining its purpose to assembling a team, building infrastructure, and scaling operations, a family office in its infancy shares much in common with a fledgling tech company. — Francois Botha, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fledgling

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fledgling was in 1830

Browse Nearby Words

fledgeless
fledgling
fledgy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fledgling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fledgling. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

fledgling

noun
fledg·​ling ˈflej-liŋ How to pronounce fledgling (audio)
1
: a young bird just fledged
2
: an immature or inexperienced person

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Nglish: Translation of fledgling for Spanish Speakers

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