self-educated

[ self-ej-oo-key-tid, self- ]

adjective

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

self-educated

adjective

1. educated through one's own efforts without formal instruction
2. educated at one's own expense, without financial aid

Derived Forms

• ˌself-ˌeduˈcation, noun

Other Words From

• self-edu·cating adjective
• self-edu·cation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-educated¹

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

William Butler Yeats once called Carlyle “the chief inspirer of self-educated men.”

From The Daily Beast

He was a self-educated-man; he had formerly been a sapper and he was one of the best and handiest working engineers alive.

From Project Gutenberg

The older man was self-educated, brought up to a religious belief that was under attack by scholars and scientists.

From Project Gutenberg

It may be said, however, that Pauline Garcia was self-educated as a vocalist.

From Project Gutenberg

It must not be ignored that a startling proportion of our great business men are what are termed self-educated.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the most remarkable of self-educated men, James Ferguson, when a poor agricultural laborer, constructed a globe.

From Project Gutenberg