self-descriptor

noun

self-de·​scrip·​tor ˌself-di-ˈskrip-tər How to pronounce self-descriptor (audio)
plural self-descriptors
: a word or phrase used to describe oneself
As a teenager, she'd hated that word—"fat." … But when she and the other curvy models began using it as a self-descriptor, it no longer felt as offensive.Amy Kaufman
Unclassifiable exhibitions are all the rage, and "multimedia artist" is the most frequently claimed self-descriptor in the art world.Ted Loos
"Hey, how're you doing?" "I'm tired, but good." Tired. My go-to self-descriptor.Phoebe Quinton
In addition to the usual geographic/age-related questions, organizers asked about gender identity, and included a checkbox for every term they had ever heard used as a self-descriptor by members of this community.Reid Vanderburgh

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-descriptor was in 1975

Dictionary Entries Near self-descriptor

Cite this Entry

“Self-descriptor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-descriptor. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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