as in amateur
having skills or knowledge acquired through one's own efforts without formal training a self-instructed carpenter who does quality work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-instructed
Adjective
  • Investors cheered the improbable rise of the amateur heavy metal drummer and hard-line conservative, who’s expected to increase defense spending, cut taxes, and revive Japan’s nuclear power industry.
    Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Daniel Kinahan, a keen amateur boxer, has always been in thrall to prizefighters.
    Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-instructed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-instructed. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!