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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Where Obama is a product of Ivy League schools, Lincoln was largely self-taught.—
Jim Williams,
CBS News,
21 Feb. 2026
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The flagship also marks the debut of Earthling’s first dedicated femme collection, led by Crockett, who is self-taught in pattern-making and garment construction.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Leanne, a single mother, turns to her amateur heists to avoid losing her family flat, Mattie to get some money to his daughter as child maintenance, despite his chronic gambling.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
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Undefeated after eight fights inside the state’s challenging amateur system, Cortez still had plenty to sort out.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Autodidactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autodidactic. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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