self-educated

adjective

Of a person, having learned without the direction of a teacher.

Similar
educated
OriginEnglish educated ← Middle English self- ← Old English self- →
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Meanings

adjectiveself-educated (comparative more self-educated, superlative most self-educated)

comparative more self-educated · superlative most self-educated

  1. Of a person, having learned without the direction of a teacher.
verb
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of self-educate

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveeducated by your own efforts rather than by formal instruction

Similar
educated
Also see
educated

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
  3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
  4. Old Englishself
  5. Old Englishself-
  6. Middle Englishself-
  7. Englishself-
  8. Englisheducated
  9. Englishself-educated

From self- + educated.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek αὐτοδίδακτος
  • αὐτοδίδακτος (autodídaktos)having learned without the direction of a teacher
Arabic عِصَامِيّ
  • عِصَامِيّ (ʕiṣāmiyy)having learned without the direction of a teacher
Bulgarian самоук
  • самоук (samouk)having learned without the direction of a teacher
Danish selvlært, autodidakt
  • selvlærthaving learned without the direction of a teacher
  • autodidakthaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Dutch autodidact
  • autodidacthaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Finnish itseoppinut
  • itseoppinuthaving learned without the direction of a teacher
French autodidacte
  • autodidactehaving learned without the direction of a teacher
German autodidaktisch
  • autodidaktischhaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Hungarian autodidakta
  • autodidaktahaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Norwegian autodidakt, selvlært
  • autodidakthaving learned without the direction of a teacher
  • selvlærthaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Polish autodydaktyczny
  • autodydaktycznyhaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Portuguese autodidata
  • autodidatahaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Romanian autodidact
  • autodidacthaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Russian вы́учившийся самостоя́тельно, вы́учившийся самоу́чкой
  • вы́учившийся самостоя́тельно (výučivšijsja samostojátelʹno)having learned without the direction of a teacher
  • вы́учившийся самоу́чкой (výučivšijsja samoúčkoj)having learned without the direction of a teacher
  • самообу́ченный (samoobúčennyj)having learned without the direction of a teacher
  • самообразо́ванный (samoobrazóvannyj)having learned without the direction of a teacher
Scottish Gaelic fèin-ionnsaichte
  • fèin-ionnsaichtehaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Spanish autoeducado
  • autoeducadohaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Swedish självlärd
  • självlärdhaving learned without the direction of a teacher
Yiddish אויטאָדידאַקטיש
  • אויטאָדידאַקטיש (oytodidaktish)having learned without the direction of a teacher
Cite this entry
APA

self-educated. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-educated

MLA

“self-educated.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-educated. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-educated,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-educated.

Source: self-educated on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.