ballerina

noun

bal·​le·​ri·​na ˌba-lə-ˈrē-nə 

: a woman who is a ballet dancer : danseuse

Examples of ballerina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And Jaiani, relatively tall for a ballerina, is more used to the high-altitude conditions dancing with 6-foot-4 Dylan Gutierrez (who on Thursday dances as the lovely guy Tatiana pragmatically marries) and, prior to that, Fabrice Calmels — who is even taller than Gutierrez. —Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026

Whether you’re already sold on the sneaker-meets-flat hybrid or still on the fence, Charlize Theron makes a strong case for giving ballerina sneakers a try. —Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026

Earlier in the spring, the footwear label tapped into the hybrid ballerina market with a style featuring a more open concept upper than usual which was embellished with three dainty straps. —Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 27 May 2026

Amelia and Eliza slicked back their long blonde hair into coordinating ballerina buns, accessorizing with jeweled earrings from Sahag Arslanian. —Hannah Malach, InStyle, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "woman who dances professionally or for pleasure," feminine counterpart of ballarino, ballerino "professional dancer, person who loves to dance," from ballare "to dance" (going back to Late Latin ballāre) + -ar-, -er-, extension in nominal derivation + -ino, suffix of occupations (as in postino "mailman," scalpellino "stonemason"), going back to Latin -īnus -ine entry 1 — more at ball entry 3

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ballerina

• prima ballerina

Rhymes for ballerina

• acarina
• casuarina
• celestina
• concertina
• filipina
• foramina
• leucaena
• littorina
• scarlatina
• semolina
• serotina
• signorina

Kids Definition

ballerina

noun

bal·​le·​ri·​na ˌbal-ə-ˈrē-nə 

: a female ballet dancer