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Meaning & use

fledgling

noun, adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈfledʒlɪŋ/
US/ˈfledʒlɪŋ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A young bird that has just developed the feathers it needs to fly.

    Grammar: Countable; use 'a fledgling' or 'fledglings'.

    Patterns

    • a fledgling
    • the fledglings

    We watched a fledgling leave the nest for the first time.

    The mother bird brought food to her fledglings.

    A fledgling was hopping around on the grass, unable to fly yet.

  2. nouncountable

    A person or organization that is new and lacks experience.

    Grammar: Countable; often used with 'at' or 'in' to show the area of activity.

    Patterns

    • a fledgling at something
    • a fledgling in something

    As a fledgling at the company, she was eager to learn.

    The fledgling struggled to find its place in the competitive market.

    He was still a fledgling in politics when he won the election.

  3. adjectivebefore a noun

    New and still developing, without much experience yet.

    Grammar: Used before a noun: a fledgling business, a fledgling democracy.

    Patterns

    • fledgling + noun

    The fledgling company needed more funding to survive.

    They are trying to build a fledgling democracy in the region.

    Her fledgling career in acting was just beginning.

Word forms

pluralfledglings

Common combinations

fledgling company
The fledgling company hired its first employees.
fledgling democracy
The fledgling democracy held its first free elections.
fledgling career
He moved to the city to start a fledgling career in music.
fledgling industry
The fledgling industry is growing rapidly.
fledgling bird
The fledgling bird was learning to fly.

Synonyms and how they differ

novice
Used for a person who is new to an activity; 'fledgling' is more often used for organizations or birds.
beginner
A person just starting to learn something; 'fledgling' can also describe groups or companies.
nascent
Formal, meaning just beginning to exist; 'fledgling' is more common in everyday speech.

Opposites

veteranexperienced

Word family

fledge verb
To grow feathers and learn to fly (for a bird).

Commonly confused: fledgling or fledging?

fledgling vs fledging

The -ing form of the verb 'fledge'; 'fledgling' is the noun or adjective.

Practice

The startup was still a ______, with only three employees and no customers.

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