prima donna
noun
pri·ma don·na
ˌpri-mə-ˈdä-nə 
ˌprē-
plural prima donnas
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
Celebrities being rude and acting prima donnas toward restaurant personnel isn’t anything new, the Los Angeles Times noted.
—
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
Celebrities acting like prima donnas toward restaurant personnel isn’t anything new.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024
La Cantina di Miky andrey ak/La Cantina di Miky
Vernazza and Manarola are often considered the prima donnas of Cinque Terre, but Monterosso al Mare wins for personality, with the most to offer visitors from where to bed down to local wining and family-run dining.
—Kasia Dietz, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2023
Bertolucci fans beware: The director comes across here as a pompous and careless prima donna.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Maui Sunrise: Roses have a prima donna reputation as high-maintenance water hogs, but Andy Klittich, manager of Otto & Sons Nursery in Fillmore (open to the public), says that’s a bad rap.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Some might call it retrograde for a work from 1996, but its indebtedness to Puccini suits a story about a wistful prima donna in the early nineteen-hundreds.
—Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023
As her star continued to rise over the years, Ms. Bumbry was never afraid to inhabit the prima donna role offstage as well as on, outfitting herself in Yves Saint Laurent and Oscar de la Renta and tooling around in a Lamborghini.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 8 May 2023
Except for one, who was a prima donna.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2022
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
Celebrities acting like prima donnas toward restaurant personnel isn’t anything new.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024
La Cantina di Miky andrey ak/La Cantina di Miky
Vernazza and Manarola are often considered the prima donnas of Cinque Terre, but Monterosso al Mare wins for personality, with the most to offer visitors from where to bed down to local wining and family-run dining.
—Kasia Dietz, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2023
Bertolucci fans beware: The director comes across here as a pompous and careless prima donna.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Maui Sunrise: Roses have a prima donna reputation as high-maintenance water hogs, but Andy Klittich, manager of Otto & Sons Nursery in Fillmore (open to the public), says that’s a bad rap.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Some might call it retrograde for a work from 1996, but its indebtedness to Puccini suits a story about a wistful prima donna in the early nineteen-hundreds.
—Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023
As her star continued to rise over the years, Ms. Bumbry was never afraid to inhabit the prima donna role offstage as well as on, outfitting herself in Yves Saint Laurent and Oscar de la Renta and tooling around in a Lamborghini.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 8 May 2023
Except for one, who was a prima donna.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prima donna.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Prima donna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prima%20donna. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prima donna
noun
pri·ma don·na
ˌprim-ə-ˈdän-ə
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
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