self-made

American  

[self-meyd] / ˈsɛlfˈmeɪd /

adjective

1. having succeeded in life unaided.

   He is a self-made man.

2. made by oneself.

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self-made British  

adjective

1. having achieved wealth, status, etc, by one's own efforts

2. made by oneself

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Etymology

Origin of self-made

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

As a zillion people have pointed out, Auriemma and Staley are charismatic, self-made titans from the same neck of the woods, Philadelphia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Whether it's self-made or forced upon you, the decision about which football team to support is usually taken before you learn to ride a bike or even tie your shoelaces.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

There’s safety in that insatiability, which is why most self-made people in Manhattan never retire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

At the centerpiece of that growth is Luana Lopes Lara, the firm’s co-founder and chief operating officer and, at 29, the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire, according to Forbes.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

I had feared that her sharp, stubborn mind, caught in her self-made antihelical trap, might dig up irrelevant results that would foster uncertainty about the correctness of the double helix.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson