self-made man
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Macaulay was a self-made man elevated to the pinnacle of Britain’s ruling class, thanks to his precocious intelligence and scholarly brilliance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
Margaret Thatcher's biographer Lord Charles Moore said he was the "first important personal example of Thatcherism in action because he was the self-made man from the working class and he was unapologetic about that".
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2025
Hoover was a self-made man, having earned a degree in engineering as a member of the first graduating class of Stanford University and making a fortune as a mining engineer.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2024
Delors was a rarity in French public life: a self-made man from a working-class home who did not come up through the prestigious “grandes ecoles.”
From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2023
He was a self-made man who owed his lack of success to nobody.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
