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self-taught — having acquired knowledge or skill on one's own initiative rather than through formal instruction or training

Part of speech: ADJECTIVE

Definition: having acquired knowledge or skill on one's own initiative rather than through formal instruction or training

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˌsɛlf ˈtɔːt/

Example Sentences

  • The self-taught chef's restaurant became famous overnight when Gordon Ramsay couldn't find a single thing to criticize.
  • Many successful entrepreneurs are self-taught individuals who learned through trial and error.
  • As a self-taught guitarist, he could play beautifully but couldn't read a single note of sheet music.

self-taught

ADJECTIVE

[/ˌsɛlf ˈtɔːt/]

having acquired knowledge or skill on one's own initiative rather than through formal instruction or training

He is self-taught — learned guitar entirely from YouTube videos in his bedroom.
💡 Concept

He is self-taught — learned guitar entirely from YouTube videos in his bedroom.

Self-taught passion shines brighter than knowledge bought with thought!
🎵 Rhyme

Self-taught passion shines brighter than knowledge bought with thought!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˌsɛlf ˈtɔːt/
🇬🇧 UK/ˌsɛlf ˈtɔːt/

🌳Etymology

Prefixself--
Roottaught

Origin

The term combines 'self', derived from Old English 'self' meaning 'one's own person', with 'taught', the past participle of 'teach' from Old English 'taecan'. Together, they form a compound adjective meaning 'educated by oneself without formal instruction'.

Breakdown

self- (one's own) + taught (past participle of teach, meaning instructed or trained). The compound describes learning acquired through one's own effort rather than external teaching.

🎵Rhyme

caught
fought
bought
thought

🔗Collocations

self-taught artist
self-taught musician
self-taught programmer
completely self-taught
largely self-taught
self-taught skills

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“The self-taught chef's restaurant became famous overnight when Gordon Ramsay couldn't find a single thing to criticize.”

“Many successful entrepreneurs are self-taught individuals who learned through trial and error.”

😄 Fun example

“As a self-taught guitarist, he could play beautifully but couldn't read a single note of sheet music.”

“The self-taught language learner became fluent in five languages through online resources.”

📚Related Words

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