fledgling
n. countablen. a person or organization that is new and lacks experience. It can also mean a young bird that has just grown its feathers and is learning to fly.
n. an inexperienced person or a nascent organization; literally, a young bird that has recently acquired its flight feathers. Often used metaphorically to describe entities in the earliest stages of development.
The fledgling company is still looking for its first office.
The government provided grants to support fledgling tech startups during their first year of operation.
While the fledgling democracy faced significant internal strife, international observers remained hopeful that its first free elections would establish a foundation for long-term stability.
From fledge (“prepare for flying”) + -ling.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used as a noun-modifier (e.g., 'fledgling industry') to indicate a lack of maturity or experience.
Last updated May 8, 2026