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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Deng graduated from elementary school in 1966, but the rest of her education was self-taught.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
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Other artists are lesser known, such as Eunice Pinney, an early 19th-century folk watercolorist who was entirely self-taught, as well as Bernarda Bryson, a printmaker who depicted farmers in New Deal-era art and only gained recognition later in her life.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But an unlikely story is bubbling up in the nation as Chinese fans cheer on unlikely amateur soccer players – from delivery drivers to villagers – now playing in packed stadiums back home in a rare sign, some believe, that the Beautiful Game may finally be taking root in the nation.—
Reagan Yip,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
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For his senior season and recognition as a top draft prospect, Emerson was named a semifinalist for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the nation’s top amateur baseball player.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autodidactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autodidactic. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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