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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
People saw my growth [and related to being] self-taught and wanting to be an idol.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Many of the artists are self-taught.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The anime film follows an amateur sleuth with a penchant for the paranormal, who travels to the deep south to solve a string of murders that have awakened a vengeful Boo Hag spirit seeking justice.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The whole thing is truly amateur.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Autodidactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/autodidactic. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share