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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People saw my growth [and related to being] self-taught and wanting to be an idol.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Many of the artists are self-taught.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Autumn has draped itself across the northern hemisphere, heralding the onset of longer, darker nights that serve as the perfect backdrop for amateur astronomers looking to explore the wonders of the night sky.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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The up-and-comer also gained some notoriety around the same time, having won amateur night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem several times.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autodidactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autodidactic. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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