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 of diva

• queen
• princess

Examples of diva in a Sentence

the reigning diva of daytime television

Recent Examples on the Web

Except this time, Cal is a closeted diva scrambling to hide his Grindr alerts and Jack specializes in stick figure cat paintings. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026

Mindelle’s benevolent, blissed out Québécoise diva is the heart of this show about the Heart of the Ocean. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026

In the hilarious episode, the singer was in full diva mode — making outfit changes, appearing in a bathtub on camera, and using a StairMaster machine in high heels. —Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026

Pop diva Alicia Keys based this original musical on her own upbringing in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026

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)