as in autodidactic
having skills or knowledge acquired through one's own efforts without formal training
the cellist's success is all the more remarkable because she is self-taught
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Recent Examples of self-taught
Born in 1970 in Herber City, Utah, Allen is largely self-taught, having begun his artistic career by whittling figures and selling them from atop an ironing board on the streets of SoHo in New York.
—
News Desk, Artforum, 24 Nov. 2025
Despite becoming one of the most popular guitarists in the world, Frehley was famously self-taught and never had any formal instruction.
—Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Born Paul Daniel Frehley to a musical family, he was self-taught — and went on to inspire millions with his guitar prowess.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025
People saw my growth [and related to being] self-taught and wanting to be an idol.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-taught
News Desk, Artforum, 24 Nov. 2025
Despite becoming one of the most popular guitarists in the world, Frehley was famously self-taught and never had any formal instruction.
—Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Born Paul Daniel Frehley to a musical family, he was self-taught — and went on to inspire millions with his guitar prowess.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025
People saw my growth [and related to being] self-taught and wanting to be an idol.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-taught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-taught
Adjective
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Over the past decade, she’s cultivated a reputation for a new kind of defiant, autodidactic pop stardom.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Andoni Bello, an LGBTQ+ activist who played for Mexico in amateur soccer tournaments organized by the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association, said the chant is a form of verbal aggression that can escalate into physical aggression.—
Carlos Rodriguez,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
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Fuqua had been pleased to discover, during the research for his film, that Mandela was an amateur boxer.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-taught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-taught. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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