self-styled
Claiming one's title
Self-styled describes someone who has given themselves a title or role without official recognition or external validation: a self-styled expert on wine, the self-styled king of the neighborhood.
The term often carries skepticism about whether the person deserves the label they've claimed.
Not formally recognized
- unelectedNot chosen by voters
- unsanctionedNot officially permitted
- unauthorizedNot officially permitted
- unrecognizedNot identified or acknowledged
uncredentialed · would-be · so-called · supposed · alleged · professed · claiming · aspiring
One feigning another's identity
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- fakeNot the real thing
- phoneyInsincere or fake
- shamFraudulent imitation
bogus · pseudo · quack · counterfeit · masquerader · pretender · fraud · deceiver
Artificially contrived behavior
- pompousAffectedly grand in manner
- grandiosePretentiously impressive in scale
- ostentatiousShowily excessive
- conceitedExcessively proud of oneself
haughty · vainglorious · bombastic · grandiloquent · highfalutin · pretender · poseur · wannabe
unofficial
Not formally recognized
- unelectedNot chosen by voters
- unsanctionedNot officially permitted
- unauthorizedNot officially permitted
unrecognized · uncredentialed · would-be · so-called · supposed · alleged · professed · claiming · aspiring · amateur
impostor
One feigning another's identity
sham · bogus · pseudo · quack · counterfeit · masquerader · pretender · fraud · deceiver · mountebank
affected
Artificially contrived behavior
- pompousAffectedly grand in manner
- grandiosePretentiously impressive in scale
- ostentatiousShowily excessive
conceited · haughty · vainglorious · bombastic · grandiloquent · highfalutin · pretender · poseur · wannabe · dilettante
- posersposer, poseur, wannabe, fake, faker
- attributionattributed to, cited, according to, per, via
self-styledelected
Chosen by ballot
certified · licensed · accredited · ordained · credentialed
style, self, styling, styled, stylist, egoistic, self-appointed, self-proclaimed, self-made