as in autodidactic
having skills or knowledge acquired through one's own efforts without formal training
the cellist's success is all the more remarkable because she is self-taught
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 self-taught
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
Both of my brothers were self-taught.
—Nadia Murad, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
Born in Richland, Wisconsin, in 1867, Wright was largely self-taught.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-taught
Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Many of the artists are self-taught.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
Both of my brothers were self-taught.
—Nadia Murad, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
Born in Richland, Wisconsin, in 1867, Wright was largely self-taught.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-taught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-taught
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
Adjective
-
In Short’s case, the flattening is particularly egregious, because the inchoate facts of her life are shoehorned into the obsessions of amateur sleuths who continue to get those facts wrong.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Buskey, who previously competed as an amateur mixed martial arts fighter in local Cage Wars events according to the Times Union, has remained in custody since his arrest in April 2024.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-taught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-taught. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
