Meanings
alternative fledgeling
- not comparableUntried or inexperienced.
His trenchant criticisms of the Church's repression […] include a discussion of the considerable 1938 success of the fledgling NODL in getting magazines removed from various points of sale.
2011, Jay A. Gertzman, Bookleggers and Smuthounds: The Trade in Erotica, 1920-1940 - not comparableEmergent or rising.
Less than 24 hours later, Aker’s fledgling green energy and technology unit, Aker Horizons, revealed it had landed a bigger catch, with its planned purchase of Roscommon native Eddie O’Connor’s Mainstream Renewable Power for up to €1 billion.
2021 January 22, Joe Brennan, “Has Eddie O’Connor underestimated the value of his €1bn baby?”, in The Irish Times1 more example
Harry Boland was born in Dublin in 1884 and educated with his younger brother Gerry in Clontarf. His father James, who greatly influenced him was politically active in the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the fledgling GAA. Harry Boland fought at the GPO in April 1916 and was interned in Dartmoor and Lewes jail.
1997 August 5, “Film failed to do justice to drama surrounding death of Harry Boland”, in The Irish Times
plural fledglings · alternative fledgeling
- figurativelyAn immature, naïve or inexperienced person.
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
adjective(of a young bird) having acquired its flight feathers
adjectiveyoung and inexperienced
nounany new participant in some activity
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From fledge (“prepare for flying”) + -ling.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 未經嘗試的 /未经尝试的, 缺乏經驗的 /缺乏经验的
- 未經嘗試的 /未经尝试的 (wèijīng chángshì de)inexperienced
- 缺乏經驗的 /缺乏经验的 (quēfá jīngyàn de)inexperienced
- 新興的 /新兴的 (xīnxīng de)emergent or rising
- 上升的 (shàngshēng de)emergent or rising
- 剛長出飛羽的幼鳥 /刚长出飞羽的幼鸟 (gāng zhǎng chū fēi yǔ de yòu niǎo)young bird
- 剛羽化的昆蟲 /刚羽化的昆虫 (gāng yǔhuà de kūnchóng)insect that has just fledged
- 未成熟的人 (wèi chéngshú de rén)inexperienced person
- 天真的人 (tiānzhēn de rén)inexperienced person
- 缺乏經驗的人 /缺乏经验的人 (quēfá jīngyàn de rén)inexperienced person
Czech nezkušený, ptáče
- nezkušenýinexperienced
- ptáčeyoung bird
- ptáčátkoyoung bird
Dutch onervaren, opkomend
- onervareninexperienced
- opkomendemergent or rising
- rijzendemergent or rising
- kuikenyoung bird
- nieuwelinginexperienced person
- melkmuilinexperienced person
- aankomelinginexperienced person
- groentjeinexperienced person
Esperanto sensperta, nesperta
- senspertainexperienced
- nespertainexperienced
- freŝbakitaemergent or rising
- novicoinexperienced person
- novuloinexperienced person
- senspertuloinexperienced person
Estonian linnupoeg
- linnupoegyoung bird
Finnish kokematon, aloitteleva
- kokematoninexperienced
- aloittelevainexperienced
- orastavainexperienced
- aloitteleva aufkommend (fi)emergent or rising
- aufkeimendemergent or rising
- sich entwickelndemergent or rising
- hervortretendemergent or rising
- jungemergent or rising
- frischgebackenemergent or rising
- Jung-emergent or rising
- Nachwuchs-emergent or rising
- in den Kinderschuhenemergent or rising
- lentopoikanenyoung bird
- vasta kuoriutunut hyönteineninsect that has just fledged
- untuvikkoinexperienced person
French inexpérimenté, naissant
- inexpérimentéinexperienced
- naissantemergent or rising
- naissanteemergent or rising
- émergentemergent or rising
- émergenteemergent or rising
- oisillonyoung bird
- oiseletyoung bird
- noviceinexperienced person
- bleuinexperienced person
German unerfahren, unerprobt
- unerfahreninexperienced
- unerprobtinexperienced
- ungeprüftinexperienced
- Kükenyoung bird
- Kücken n flügges Kükenyoung bird
- flügges Kückenyoung bird
- flügger Vogelyoung bird
- eben flügge gewordener Vogelyoung bird
- Jungvogelyoung bird
- Grünschnabelinexperienced person
- Neulinginexperienced person
- Laieinexperienced person
Greek πρωτόπειρος, άπειρος
- πρωτόπειρος (protópeiros)inexperienced
- άπειρος (ápeiros)inexperienced
- αρχάριος (archários)inexperienced
- νεοσσός (neossós)young bird
- αρχάριος (archários)inexperienced person
Hebrew פִּרְחוֹן
- פִּרְחוֹן (pirḥón)young bird
Irish gearrcach
- gearrcachyoung bird
Italian inesperto, alle prime armi
- inespertoinexperienced
- alle prime armiinexperienced
- uccellinoyoung bird
- involatoyoung bird
- novellinoinexperienced person
- principianteinexperienced person
- pivelloinexperienced person
Māori pīrere, hauturuki
- pīrereyoung bird
- hauturukiyoung bird
- turukiyoung bird
Polish niedoświadczony, świeżo upieczony
- niedoświadczonyinexperienced
- świeżo upieczonyemergent or rising
- początkującyemergent or rising
- podlotyoung bird
- nowicjuszinexperienced person
- nowicjuszkainexperienced person
- żółtodzióbinexperienced person
Portuguese inexperiente, novato
- inexperienteinexperienced
- novatoinexperienced
- filhote/filho/pássaro/etc. recém-emplumadoyoung bird
- novatoinexperienced person
- inicianteinexperienced person
Punjabi ਬੋਟ
- ਬੋਟ (boṭ)young bird
Romanian păsărea, păsărică
- păsăreayoung bird
- păsăricăyoung bird
- noviceinexperienced person
- ageamiuinexperienced person
Russian нео́пытный, неискушённый
- нео́пытный (neópytnyj)inexperienced
- неискушённый (neiskušónnyj)inexperienced
- зелёный (zeljónyj)inexperienced
- желторотый (želtorotyj)inexperienced
- опери́вшийся птене́ц (operívšijsja ptenéc)young bird
- птене́ц (ptenéc)young bird
- новичо́к (novičók)inexperienced person
- нео́пытный юне́ц (neópytnyj junéc)inexperienced person
- несмышлёныш (nesmyšljónyš)inexperienced person
Slovak vtáča
- vtáčayoung bird
Spanish inexperto, bisoño
- inexpertoinexperienced
- bisoñoinexperienced
- principianteinexperienced
- novelinexperienced
- novicioinexperienced
- pollitoyoung bird
- pollueloyoung bird
- volanderoyoung bird
- volantónyoung bird
- amateurinexperienced person
- novatoinexperienced person
- principianteinexperienced person
- pipioloinexperienced person
Swedish oerfaren, flygfärdig
- oerfareninexperienced
- flygfärdiginexperienced
- fågelungeyoung bird
- nybörjareinexperienced person
Tagalog inakay, sisiw
- inakayyoung bird
- sisiwyoung bird
Cite this entry
fledgling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fledgling
“fledgling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fledgling. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fledgling,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fledgling.
Source: fledgling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.