fledgling
/fledgling/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Young and inexperienced: Describes a person, organization, or entity that is new and lacks experience or maturity.
- (Of a young bird) having acquired its flight feathers: Describes a bird that has just grown the feathers necessary for flight.
Noun:
- A young bird that has just fledged or become capable of flying: A bird that has recently developed the feathers needed for its first flight.
- Any new participant in some activity: A person who is just beginning or is new to a particular field, activity, or organization.
Examples of Usage
Adjective:
- The fledgling company showed great promise despite its small size.
- We watched the fledgling robin take its first tentative hops on the branch.
Noun:
- The mother bird fed insects to the hungry fledgling.
- As a fledgling in the world of journalism, she was eager to learn from seasoned reporters.
Advanced Usage
"fledgling democracy": A new and still-developing democratic system of government.
- The nation's fledgling democracy faced many challenges in its first decade.
"fledgling stage": The initial, early phase of development.
- The technology was still in its fledgling stage, with many bugs to be worked out.
Variants and Related Words
- Fledge (verb): To grow the feathers needed for flying; to rear a young bird until it is ready to fly.
- The chicks will fledge in about two weeks.
- Fledgeling (noun/adjective): An alternative, less common spelling of "fledgling".
- Unfledged (adjective): Not yet having flight feathers; immature or inexperienced.
- An unfledged writer.
Synonyms
- Novice: A person new to and inexperienced in a job or situation.
- Neophyte: A person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.
- Newcomer: A person who has recently arrived in a place or started an activity.
- Nestling (specifically for birds): A bird that is too young to leave its nest.
Related Phrases
- "wet behind the ears" (idiom): Very young and inexperienced.
- The new recruit is still a bit wet behind the ears.
- "greenhorn" (noun, informal): A person who is inexperienced or new to an activity.
- He was a greenhorn when he first started working on the farm.
Adjective
- young and inexperienced
- a fledgling enterprise
- a fledgling skier
- an unfledged lawyer
- (of a young bird) having acquired its flight feathers
- a fledgling robin
Noun
- young bird that has just fledged or become capable of flying
- any new participant in some activity