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self-taught

American

[self-tawt] / ˈsɛlfˈtɔt /

adjective

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

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

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

self-taught British

adjective

having learnt oneself without any external or formal instruction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of self-taught

First recorded in 1715–25

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.

He said being self-taught often led him to question his ability as a chef, but he had felt proud to stand side-by-side with fellow contestants "with my head held high".

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

A self-taught chef has been crowned winner of the latest series of the BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

“A lot of people are realizing that processed food is terrible,” says Ruby Balaram, a self-taught canine nutritionist and creator of the weekend’s Feed Real Summit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

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 • Dec. 18, 2025

He could hardly be bothered with the progressively lunatic ramblings of a self-taught monk in Brno.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023