self-identifying
|self-i-den-ti-fy-ing|
/ˌsɛlf aɪˈdɛntɪfaɪ/
(self-identify)
declare or describe one's own identity
Etymology
'self-identifying' originates as a modern English compound of the pronoun 'self' (from Old English 'self', meaning 'oneself' or 'the same') and the verb 'identify' (from Latin 'identificare'), where the Latin elements 'idem' meant 'the same' and 'facere' meant 'to make'.
'identify' developed from Latin 'identificare' into Old French/Medieval forms (e.g., French 'identifier') and entered Middle/Modern English as 'identify'; combined with 'self' in English to form 'self-identify' and its adjectival/participle form 'self-identifying'.
Initially, roots conveyed 'to make the same' or 'to recognize as the same'; over time 'identify' came to mean 'to recognize or establish identity', so 'self-identifying' now refers to someone stating or asserting their own identity.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
present participle of 'self-identify': to describe or state one's own identity.
Many respondents are self-identifying as first-generation college students on the survey.
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Adjective 1
describing a person or group that defines or describes their own identity (e.g., gender, ethnicity, beliefs) rather than having it defined by others.
She is self-identifying as nonbinary in conversations about gender.
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Last updated: 2026/01/06 11:43