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self-appointed

American  
[self-uh-poin-tid] / ˈsɛlf əˈpɔɪn tɪd /

adjective

  1. chosen by oneself to act in a certain capacity or to fulfill a certain function, especially pompously or self-righteously.

    a self-appointed guardian of the public's morals.
self-appointed British  

adjective

  1. having assumed authority without the agreement of others

    a self-appointed critic
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of self-appointed

First recorded in 1790–1800

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.