self-instructed

adjective

ˌself-in-ˈstrək-təd How to pronounce self-instructed (audio)
Definition of self-instructednext
as in amateur
having skills or knowledge acquired through one's own efforts without formal training a self-instructed carpenter who does quality work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-instructed
  1. amateur
  2. self-taught
  3. autodidactic
Adjective
  • The world of June Marple, the elderly amateur detective Christie featured in a dozen novels and 20 short stories, is considerably quainter.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Oct. 2026
  • This new class of flamethrowing amateur diplomats has little reason to pursue the humdrum work of nurturing ties.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of amateur
Adjective
  • Acevedo’s debut pic follows Andrés, a young Chilean muleteer and self-taught musician who leaves his hometown to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician in Mexico.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Primarily self-taught, Drexler often worked at an intimate scale, mostly for practical reasons.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of self-taught
Adjective
  • His autodidactic impulses may lead him to the history of clock towers or to the interplanetary rarity of wood.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Definition of autodidactic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

self-inflicted
self-instructed
self-interest
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-instructed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-instructed. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All