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

While rescue workers have exhausted themselves in cold water, the odyssey has also featured heated rifts between veterinarians and self-proclaimed "whale-whisperers", fundraising scams and esoteric attempts to heal the whale through chanting.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

So Elise turned to Dr. Leslie Dobson, a forensic psychologist and self-proclaimed Epstein expert with her own robust social media following and a more than passing interest in cannibalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

The self-proclaimed Captain of Brewdog, Watt regularly attacked the "bland and insipid" big beer companies like Heineken.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Other hobgoblins were the brainchildren of self-proclaimed experts who cooked up idiosyncratic theories of how language ought to behave, usually with a puritanical undercurrent in which people’s natural inclinations must be a form of dissoluteness.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker