self-appointed

American

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

adjective

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

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

self-appointment

noun

Etymology

Origin of self-appointed

First recorded in 1790–1800

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.

Harbored at different times by Yemen, Syria, East Germany and communist Hungary, this self-appointed tribune of the oppressed was finally captured in Sudan in 1994, then convicted in France of multiple murders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

I, the self-appointed queen of snacks, brought a plethora of goodies and drinks from my Sherman Oaks apartment.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025

"She could be very happy with two or three or four or five," asserted this self-appointed expert in child psychology.

From Salon • May 7, 2025

Satoshi created a complex computer system that would process transactions and create new coins using a huge network of self-appointed volunteers around the world who used special software and powerful computers.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2024

In a similar manner, centuries of respectable writers have gradually shifted the collective consensus of what is right and wrong while shrugging off now-forgotten edicts by self-appointed guardians of the language.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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