self-made
Americanadjective
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having succeeded in life unaided.
He is a self-made man.
-
made by oneself.
adjective
-
having achieved wealth, status, etc, by one's own efforts
-
made by oneself
Etymology
Origin of self-made
First recorded in 1605–15
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.
As the AI boom took hold in the early 2020s, Scale grew into a key vendor for top AI labs, making Wang one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
By 2014, she was the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Nearly one in five teens already own a Cash App card, Templeton said, and the company allows users to customize their cards with colors, self-made illustrations and glow-in-the-dark features.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
Jonasi is a wealthy, self-made businessman, and in a patriarchal society he makes the decisions about everything.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Today, anyone may have a shot at becoming a United States Supreme Court justice or a CEO, and there are more and more self-made billionaires.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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