self-identify

[ self-ahy-den-ti-fahy, ‐i-den-ti-fahy ]

verb (used without object)

1. identify ( defs 7, 8 ):

   to self-identify as gay; to self-identify with others in the same situation.

verb (used with object)

1. identify ( defs 4, 6 ):

   I've never self-identified myself with that radical mentality. She sometimes self-identifies herself with her patients.

Other Words From

• self-i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-identify¹

First recorded in 1960–65; self ( def ) + identify ( def )

Example Sentences

"Before then, Americans were typically more likely to self-identify as members of the middle or upper-middle class and less likely to say they belonged to the working or lower class."

From Salon

She believes there should be protected spaces where those born male are not allowed to go, like domestic violence refuges and prisons, and she is against people being able to self-identify as trans to gain access to those spaces.

From BBC

Because some progressives can't help but turn to self-parody, we heard concerns that "weird" is a stigmatizing term that could be hurtful to those who "self-identify as weird."

From Salon

But also, just because somebody’s genetic ancestry suggests one thing about their background, if they self-identify as Black, then they move in the world as Black.

From Science Magazine

These numbers are “likely an undercount — as students self-identify as experiencing homelessness,” said district spokesman Britt A. Vaughan.

From Los Angeles Times