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.

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self-appointed British  

adjective

1. having assumed authority without the agreement of others

   a self-appointed critic

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Other Word Forms

• self-appointment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of self-appointed

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-appointed

He joined other hilltop boys, finding purpose over the years living at outposts and acting as a self-appointed protector of the land.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Married to the legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee until his death in 2014, Quinn has functioned, at least since the 1980s, as the self-appointed spokeswoman of the nation’s permanent political establishment.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Ms. Joselit vividly captures Kaplan’s fervor to fulfill his self-appointed life mission to prod American Jews forward from their 19th-century diaspora ghettoes into the freedoms of 20th-century America.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

And in spotlighting grandfather Noam Tibon’s self-appointed mission to reach his loved ones, Avrich grasps that too, offering up “The Road Between Us” as an immersive action-thriller.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025

Laila had been to funerals before where she had seen women like this, women who relished all things that had to do with death, official consolers who let no one trespass on their self-appointed duties.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini