self-taught

adjective

ˈself-ˈtȯt 

1

: having knowledge or skills acquired by one's own efforts without formal instruction

a self-taught musician

2

: learned by oneself

self-taught knowledge

Synonyms of self-taught

• autodidactic
• amateur
• self-educated

Examples of self-taught in a Sentence

the cellist's success is all the more remarkable because she is self-taught

Recent Examples on the Web

However, a majority, 84%, of people say they're self-taught with no formal training in AI, and 55% say their workplace doesn't have an official AI policy, per the survey of 1,686 workers. — Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026

Smith started in finance and was self-taught in the business of fashion, building brands from the ground up, learning every part of the process–design, product development, manufacturing, marketing–by doing. — Rebecca Suhrawardi, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Ghasemipour is self-taught, which is why his pizza craft is so obsessive. — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 June 2026

Many of the teachers had no formal training, and some of them were local Black people who were self-taught. — Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for self-taught

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

self-taught

adjective

ˈself-ˈtȯt

1

: having knowledge or skills acquired by one's own efforts without formal instruction

a self-taught musician

2

: learned by oneself

self-taught knowledge