prima donna

noun

pri·​ma don·​na ˌpri-mə-ˈdä-nə How to pronounce prima donna (audio)
ˌprē-
plural prima donnas
Synonyms of prima donnanext
1
: a principal female singer in an opera or concert organization
2
: a vain or undisciplined person who finds it difficult to work under direction or as part of a team

Examples of prima donna in a Sentence

The actress is a temperamental prima donna. We are looking for team players, not prima donnas.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In this life-force of a musical, even the help gets to shine like so many sequins on a prima donna’s finery. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024 Fitzgerald wondered if teammates looked at him as a prima donna. —Doug Haller, The Athletic, 29 July 2024 As a portrait of an artist as a prima donna, a pioneer and, yes, a bona fide genius, the movie is still worth its weight in wire hangers. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2024 Knicks, please don’t trade away scrappy players for prima donnas like Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, etc. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 30 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for prima donna 

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, first lady

First Known Use

1754, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prima donna was in 1754

Dictionary Entries Near prima donna

primacy

prima donna

primaeval

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Prima donna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prima%20donna. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

prima donna

noun
pri·​ma don·​na ˌprim-ə-ˈdän-ə How to pronounce prima donna (audio)
ˌprē-mə-
plural prima donnas
1
: a principal female singer in an opera or concert organization
2
: a person who is easily hurt or upset or is stuck-up
Etymology

Italian, literally, "first lady"; prima from Latin prima, a feminine form of primus "first," donna from Latin domina "lady, mistress," a feminine form of dominus "master" — related to dame, prime

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prima donna

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