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self-educated

American  
[self-ej-oo-kay-tid, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈɛdʒ ʊˌkeɪ tɪd, ˈsɛlf- /

adjective

  1. educated by one's own efforts, especially without formal instruction.


self-educated British  

adjective

  1. educated through one's own efforts without formal instruction

  2. educated at one's own expense, without financial aid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of self-educated

First recorded in 1810–20


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Galton was largely self-educated, an odd man who studied fingerprints and claimed to have proved through testing that praying doesn’t help matters.

From Slate ● Mar. 19, 2026

His novel “Caleb Williams” introduces an embattled young hero, born poor and largely self-educated, who perceives justice in exalted terms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

Donkey isn’t allowed to go to school, so she is more or less self-educated, and her only friend is her dog.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2024

Humphries excelled at art and English, and largely ignored the rest of the school curriculum, later writing in Who's Who? that he was "self-educated" and attended Melbourne Grammar School.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2023

He was kindhearted, highly self-educated, and had an uproarious sense of humor.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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