self-made man
Built his success
A self-made man is someone, typically male, who has achieved wealth or success through his own efforts rather than through inheritance, family connections, or other advantages of birth.
The term carries connotations of hard work, determination, and rising from humble origins.
He liked to remind people he was a self-made man who started with nothing.
The phrase is sometimes used critically to suggest someone who ignores the help they received along the way.
Unprivileged early circumstances
- povertySevere lack of resources
- bootstrapsLoops on boot tops
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
- working-classManual laborers as group
self-reliance · independence · wealth · fortune · prosperity · American Dream · Horatio Alger · social mobility
One who starts businesses
- tycoonDominant industrial leader
- magnateWealthy business leader
- mogulInfluential industry leader
- industrialistMajor manufacturing business owner
visionary · pioneer · trailblazer · go-getter · striver · achiever · upstart · self-starter
Devoted to steady effort
- diligentPersistently attentive to tasks
- tirelessNever losing energy
- hardworkingCommitted to sustained effort
- toilingWorking strenuously, exhaustingly
grinding · hustling · laboring · striving · nose to the grindstone · sweat equity · long hours · overtime
Determination or abrasive particles
- tenacityPersistent grip or resolve
- determinationFirmness of purpose
- persistenceContinuing despite difficulty
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
fortitude · endurance · willpower · resolve · steadfastness · backbone · staying power · doggedness
Educated without instructors
- self-educatedLearned independently, no schooling
- unschooledLacking formal instruction
- uncredentialedLacking formal certification
- street-smartUrban survival instincts
learner · polymath · voracious reader · knowledge-seeker · independent thinker · dropout · resourceful · curious
humble beginnings
Unprivileged early circumstances
- povertySevere lack of resources
- bootstrapsLoops on boot tops
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
working-class · self-reliance · independence · wealth · fortune · prosperity · American Dream · Horatio Alger · social mobility · self-sufficiency
entrepreneur
One who starts businesses
industrialist · visionary · pioneer · trailblazer · go-getter · striver · achiever · upstart · self-starter · bootstrapper
industrious
Devoted to steady effort
- diligentPersistently attentive to tasks
- tirelessNever losing energy
- hardworkingCommitted to sustained effort
toiling · grinding · hustling · laboring · striving · nose to the grindstone · sweat equity · long hours · overtime · dedicated
grit
Determination or abrasive particles
- tenacityPersistent grip or resolve
- determinationFirmness of purpose
- persistenceContinuing despite difficulty
resilience · fortitude · endurance · willpower · resolve · steadfastness · backbone · staying power · doggedness · never give up
self-taught
Educated without instructors
- self-educatedLearned independently, no schooling
- unschooledLacking formal instruction
- uncredentialedLacking formal certification
street-smart · learner · polymath · voracious reader · knowledge-seeker · independent thinker · dropout · resourceful · curious · practical wisdom
- success storiesrags to riches, success story, underdog story, comeback story, zero to hero
- social mobilitysocial mobility, class mobility, upward mobility, downward mobility, economic ladder
- menman, guys, male, blokes, guy
- successsuccess, succeeds, achievement, wins, triumph
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, tall tales, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives
- AmericanaAmerican flag, Fourth of July, bald eagle, Thanksgiving, apple pie
self-made manheir
One who receives legacy
trust fund baby · heiress · silver spoon · old money · aristocrat
self-made mankept man
Subsidized male companion
dependent · ward · protégé · moocher · freeloader
self-made manriches to rags
Dramatic financial decline
wastrel · downwardly mobile · prodigal son · squanderer · ne'er-do-well