diva

noun

di·​va ˈdē-və 

plural divas or dive ˈdē-(ˌ)vā 

1

a

music : prima donna sense 1

b

: prima donna sense 2

… if a team asks me to play somewhere else, I'm not going to be a diva about it.

—Ettore Lattanzio

2

: a usually glamorous and successful female performer or personality (see personality sense 4b)

a fashion diva

especially : a popular female singer

pop divas

The original diva and Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin, appears to have brought US President Barack Obama to tears (and then to his feet) with a stellar performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman …

—Tom Williams

Synonyms

• queen
• princess

Examples of diva in a Sentence

the reigning diva of daytime television

Recent Examples on the Web

Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Latrice Royale, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Monét X Change and Symone will appear alongside RuPaul in the as yet untitled and sure to be diva-licious film. —Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025

Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring the screen diva Ingrid Luna, played by Lopez. —Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025

Want some Barbra Streisand vinyl, signed by the legendary diva herself? —Paul Grein, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2025

There’s no other diva quite like Ellie the Elephant, the unpredictable, always entertaining mascot of the WNBA’s New York Liberty. —Li Goldstein, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, goddess, from Latin, feminine of divus divine, god — more at deity

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for diva

• iva
• shiva
• viva
• gingiva
• oliva
• yeshiva

Kids Definition

diva

noun

di·​va ˈdē-və 

plural divas or dive -ˌvā 

1

a

: PRIMA DONNA sense 1

b

: PRIMA DONNA sense 2

2

: a usually glamorous and successful female performer or celebrity

a fashion diva

especially : a popular female singer

pop divas

Etymology

from Italian diva "goddess," from Latin diva (same meaning)