self-appointed

[self-uh-poin-tid]

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

adjective

1. having assumed authority without the agreement of others

   a self-appointed critic

Other Word Forms

• self-appointment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-appointed¹

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

As the first Teton Pass ambassador—a self-appointed position that eventually became a paid role with the U.S.

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Although psychedelic drugs are illegal in South Africa, many self-appointed healers and shamans based in Cape Town are openly advertising that they incorporate them in their therapies.

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“Her sole purpose in life—self-appointed—is being a mother,” he says.

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For Heizer, his training began with one self-appointed task — watching a classic television comedy.

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At the ground level, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of private citizens act as self-appointed KGB agents, poking their nose into other people’s business and publicly denouncing them to get them fired or otherwise harassed.

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