autodidact means A self-taught person. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
AUTODIDACT — [Noun] A person who has taught themselves a subject or skill without formal instruction. From Ancient Greek αὐτοδίδακτος (autodídaktos), from αὐτός (autós, "self") + διδάσκω (didáskō, "I teach"). Unlike a student, who follows the sanctioned path of a curriculum, or a polymath, who is defined by breadth of knowledge, the autodidact is distinguished by a solitary, often obsessive pedagogy. It is the lighthouse keeper mastering celestial navigation by dog-eared almanac, the calloused fingertips mapping a fretboard in a silent room, the composer hearing symphonies in the machinery of a textile mill—a quiet testament to the mind's stubborn capacity to be its own academy, and to the truth that the most profound curricula are self-assigned.
noun
- A self-taught person.“Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest autodidacts.”