often attributive
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
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
The scandalous moment transformed the fledgling Real Housewives franchise from a novel experiment in reality programming to a ratings juggernaut.
—
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Syria’s fledgling force has little of material value to deal with external threats from Israel or Iran.
—Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Apr. 2025
Image There has rarely been cause to question that key component of the city’s identity, since John Harvard donated some 800 pounds of sterling, and his library of 400 books, to the fledgling college that would bear his name, established by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636.
—Jenna Russell, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
The film’s success will help determine the fate of the fledgling Warner Bros. Discovery division.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
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Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Syria’s fledgling force has little of material value to deal with external threats from Israel or Iran.
—Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Apr. 2025
Image There has rarely been cause to question that key component of the city’s identity, since John Harvard donated some 800 pounds of sterling, and his library of 400 books, to the fledgling college that would bear his name, established by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636.
—Jenna Russell, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
The film’s success will help determine the fate of the fledgling Warner Bros. Discovery division.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
Cite this Entry
“Fledgling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fledgling. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fledgling
noun
fledg·ling
ˈflej-liŋ 
1
: a young bird just fledged
2
: an immature or inexperienced person
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