self-proclaimed

British  

adjective

1. proclaimed or described by oneself

   the self-proclaimed leader

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Explanation

The adjective self-proclaimed means describing yourself in a certain way. Just because you're a self-proclaimed genius in the kitchen doesn't necessarily mean your family loves your creative recipes. Being self-proclaimed means making an assertion about who you are or what you're skilled at. Sometimes that matches other people's perceptions: you're a self-proclaimed dog expert, and everyone comes to you for advice about their problematic pups. But often it stems from a skewed view of your own abilities. You may be a self-proclaimed Icelandic speaker, but if no one in Reykjavík can understand a word you say, it might be time to re-think the way you describe yourself!

Example Sentences

And the one by Forbes’ Randall Lane, self-proclaimed anthropologist of billionaires, about why the world needs them.

From Slate • May 8, 2026

Kim, a self-proclaimed animal lover known for her campaigns to ban the dog-meat trade in South Korea, was at the centre of several scandals that often eclipsed her husband's tenure in office.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

A self-proclaimed “griot,” Jenkins throughout his decades-spanning career maintained an art practice grounded in the tradition of those West African oral historians who came before him.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

The size of a small city, the camp in Syria’s eastern desert at one point held more than 70,000 people after U.S.-backed forces destroyed what remained of Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria in 2019.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

My relationship to many of the self-proclaimed Chicano students was not an easy one.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez