as in self-taught
having skills or knowledge acquired through one's own efforts without formal training
an autodidactic painter, John Singleton Copley learned his craft from books purchased from England
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Recent Examples of autodidactic
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
Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for autodidactic
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Over the past four decades, amateur lawmakers worked across party lines far less often than incumbent lawmakers, both when developing their own legislation and when lending support to other legislators’ proposals.—
Jeff Harden,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
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Frankie Piliere, who has been the team’s director of amateur scouting the past two years, now holds the title of vice president of amateur forecasting and player evaluation initiatives.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autodidactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autodidactic. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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