Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A self-taught person.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A self-taught person.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who is self-taught; an automath.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A self-taught person; an automath.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a person who has taught himself

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Greek autodidaktos, self-taught : auto-, auto- + didaktos, taught; see didactic.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek αὐτοδίδακτος (autodidaktos), from αὐτός (autos, "self") + διδάσκω (didaskō, "I teach").

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Examples

  • Yes, M-mv's resident and original reader, thinker, and autodidact is a bit cranky today, but she'll beat this funk before too long.

    04.04 M-mv 2004

  • Imagine, if you will, the Bubba Keg (a gift from Aunt M-mv) filled to capacity (52 ounces) with Trader Joe's French roast, brewed dark and strong, the way a certain autodidact favors it.

    Archive 2004-12-01 M-mv 2004

  • Yes, M-mv's resident and original reader, thinker, and autodidact is a bit cranky today, but she'll beat this funk before too long.

    Sixty-eight and climbing. M-mv 2004

  • Yes, M-mv's resident and original reader, thinker, and autodidact is a bit cranky today, but she'll beat this funk before too long.

    04.04 M-mv 2004

  • Yes, M-mv's resident and original reader, thinker, and autodidact is a bit cranky today, but she'll beat this funk before too long.

    Archive 2004-04-01 M-mv 2004

  • Yes, M-mv's resident and original reader, thinker, and autodidact is a bit cranky today, but she'll beat this funk before too long.

    03.04 M-mv 2004

  • Yes, M-mv's resident and original reader, thinker, and autodidact is a bit cranky today, but she'll beat this funk before too long.

    03.04 M-mv 2004

  • Imagine, if you will, the Bubba Keg (a gift from Aunt M-mv) filled to capacity (52 ounces) with Trader Joe's French roast, brewed dark and strong, the way a certain autodidact favors it.

    The Bubba Keg M-mv 2004

  • Anyway, I enjoy reading your site, and one of these days I'm even going to look up "autodidact" in the dictionary.

    "Shockingly provincial" M-mv 2004

  • Anyway, I enjoy reading your site, and one of these days I'm even going to look up "autodidact" in the dictionary.

    Archive 2004-09-01 M-mv 2004

Comments

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  • from the greek 'auto': "self"; and from 'didaktos' :"taught"

    December 15, 2008

  • Someone should start an autodidact club. I would be one to join!

    July 19, 2009