self-made
Americanadjective
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having succeeded in life unaided.
He is a self-made man.
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made by oneself.
adjective
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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.
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
“The Rise of Silas Lapham,” about an honest but unworldly self-made entrepreneur among Boston nabobs, dwells in the nuances of etiquette and morals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
His wealth represents a sort of aspirational model for many people of that class, even though he inherited his wealth, mostly thank to the reality show that portrayed him as a hugely successful self-made businessman.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
He walked away, his self-made light the last thing to fade in the dark forest.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
