Authades (αὐθάδης) means "self-willed," "arrogant," "one who pleases only himself" — from autos (self) and hedomai (to please). It describes a person who insists on their own way, disregards others' feelings or needs, and is driven purely by self-interest. It appears twice in the New Testament: Titus 1:7 (disqualification for elders) and 2 Peter 2:10 (describing false teachers).
The placement of authades in Titus 1:7 is decisive: an elder "must not be self-willed" — because leadership in the church flows from servanthood, not self-assertion. The elder is a steward, not an owner (1:7); the congregation belongs to God, not to its leaders. In 2 Peter 2:10, the same word describes false teachers who "despise authority" and are "bold and arrogant" (authades) and do not tremble to blaspheme glorious ones." Self-will, when applied to spiritual leadership, becomes one of the most corrosive forces in the church. It is the inversion of the servant heart of Jesus, who "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). True authority is exercised through self-surrender, not self-assertion.