persona
noun
per·so·na
pər-ˈsō-nə 
-ˌnä
plural personae
pər-ˈsō-(ˌ)nē
-ˌnī
or personas
1
: a character assumed by an author in a written work
2
a
plural personas
[New Latin, from Latin]
: an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing compare anima
b
: the personality that a person (such as an actor or politician) projects in public : image
3
plural personae
: a character in a fictional presentation (such as a novel or play)
—usually used in plural
comic personae
Examples of persona in a Sentence
His public persona is that of a strong, determined leader, but in private life he's very insecure.
The band takes on a whole new persona when they perform live.
Recent Examples on the Web
While finding inspiration in the locations and production design was one component of Evelyn’s process, another was responding to the actors who were cast and how their personas could intersect with the clothes to create iconic looks.
—
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026
Emari Etta-Tawo, an Emory Healthcare nurse and mother of two toddlers, created the smiling and singing social media persona as an educational web series.
—Eric Mandel, AJC.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Penelope retires the Lady Whistledown persona and a mysterious new person takes over the gossip column.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Mar. 2026
Briana Pozner Vigilantes – Shaken by the injustice of his mother’s death, 15-year-old Mikey joins a covert group of neurodivergent outsiders, donning shoddy superhero personas, in their mission to overthrow their local police department.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for persona
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.
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026
Emari Etta-Tawo, an Emory Healthcare nurse and mother of two toddlers, created the smiling and singing social media persona as an educational web series.
—Eric Mandel, AJC.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Penelope retires the Lady Whistledown persona and a mysterious new person takes over the gossip column.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Mar. 2026
Briana Pozner Vigilantes – Shaken by the injustice of his mother’s death, 15-year-old Mikey joins a covert group of neurodivergent outsiders, donning shoddy superhero personas, in their mission to overthrow their local police department.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for persona
Cite this Entry
“Persona.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/persona. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
persona
noun
per·so·na
pər-ˈsō-nə, -ˌnä
plural personas
: an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytical psychology of C. G. Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing compare anima sense 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
