Definition of "self-styled" [self-styled]

• As characterized by oneself, often without right or justification: "poets, real or self-styled” ( Constantine Fitzgibbon). See Usage Note at so-called. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Last night Kristin Davis, the self-styled Manhattan madam who supplied prostitutes to former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, claimed Strauss-Kahn had also been a client."
• "By placing such a tasteless photo alongside an oversimplified argument that failed to address the deeper issues of race in sports, the self-styled "Worldwide Leader In Sports" prioritized getting page views over serving its readership and failed miserably to lead the discussion."
• "The self-styled "February 20 movement" — apparently not for any particular historic reason — was largely summoned through social media like Facebook."