self-study
Americannoun
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the study of something by oneself, as through books, records, etc., without direct supervision or attendance in a class.
She learned to read German by self-study.
-
the study of oneself; self-examination.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-study
First recorded in 1675–85
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:
Learning a language in a systematic way can be challenging, whether in a classroom or from a self-study course.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026
She ended up graduating with a 2:1, but believes the first-year disruption impacted her overall grade, saying she had to do a lot of self-study to get her good marks.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
A diligent student who learned calculus through online self-study, she couldn’t concentrate in class.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2020
It was a book by the psychologist Helen Schucman, a self-study spiritual curriculum called A Course in Miracles, the greatest “miracle” of all being full “awareness of love’s presence”.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 30, 2019
Suddenly a voice asked, “Teacher Zhang, since it’s self-study, can we go home to do it?”
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
Carlile is a master of the voice-cracking power ballad, and her intimate self-studies nevertheless speak to anyone who has ever felt like a misfit, which is just about everyone.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2021
Feilding also recommends that the seminaries and churches conduct ceaseless self-studies to make sure that their procedures, and their products, are up to date.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Wallace Collection in London alone possesses two of the master's self-studies, as does also the Berlin Picture-Gallery, all of which are contemporary with this picture.
From The Standard Galleries - Holland by Singleton, Esther
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.
