Context is kind of important too.
My wife trains as a powerlifter but she's not competed. Now, she wouldn't say that she is a powerlifter. But if someone asks her what kind of weight lifting she does, she would reply "powerlifting type" or "as a powerlifter" ... and that's because she doesn't just do strength training based on the three lifts: squat, bench, and deadlift ... but rather she uses powerlifting programming and her assistance work is to help make her better at those specific lifts: squat, bench, and deadlift.
Now after October, she'll be able to say that she is a powerlifter (that is, if she plans on competing again).
But for now, she just says she's a weightlifter. And I say I'm a "competitive powerlifter" to distinguish myself from the gym rats who train like powerlifters. And we just leave "powerlifter" for that gray area of people who may train like a powerlifter, or compete sporadically, or do them with only half a mind to be competitive, get PRs, or chase records.