Self-proclaimed describes a legal title that is recognized by the declaring person but not necessarily by any recognized legal authority. It can be the status of a noble title or the status of a nation. The term is used informally for anyone declaring themselves to any informal title.
Examples
Micronations such as Sealand are small, self-proclaimed entities that claim to be independent sovereign states but which are not acknowledged by any recognized sovereign state.[1]
Taking to her blog to blast Melissa Etheridge in poetic prose, the self-proclaimed 'Hollywood Farm Girl' said she was "blindsided" by the timing of the dissolution of their domestic partnership.[2]
In March, officials said that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the attacks, probably would be tried before a military tribunal and that a decision appeared to be imminent.[3]
