self-taught

American  

[self-tawt] / ˈsɛlfˈtɔt /

adjective

1. having become as specified by teaching oneself, without the aid of formal education.

   She’s a self-taught photographer who sells her work online.

2. learned by oneself.

   Particularly impressive is his self-taught mastery of the guitar.

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self-taught British  

adjective

1. having learnt oneself without any external or formal instruction

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Etymology

Origin of self-taught

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

In the first gallery, Robert S. Duncanson, a self-taught artist who was born a free man in New York and ended his career in Detroit, begins the tale with two 1846 paintings: “At the Foot of the Cross,” depicting Mary, is a dramatically lighted, sentimental work, while “William Berthelet” is a folkloric, posthumous portrait of a boy, commissioned by his abolitionist grandfather.

From The Wall Street Journal

Crane had about 72 employees in 2024 when Buhler, a self-taught engraver with his own stationery business in North Carolina, took an equity stake.

From The Wall Street Journal

But Berk, born in Houston and raised in conservative Mount Vernon, Mo., is a self-taught pro at identifying what isn’t working and doing everything possible to fix it, including in his own life.

From Los Angeles Times

The lyrics belong to the himnos de superación canon: a self-taught man outlines his road to success, paved with honesty, resilience and hard work.

From Los Angeles Times

Like Max, he is self-taught - something which can only be achieved if you have the "passion", according to Osian.

From BBC