diva

noun

di·​va ˈdē-və How to pronounce diva (audio)
plural divas or dive ˈdē-(ˌ)vā How to pronounce diva (audio)
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 WomanTom Williams

Examples of diva in a Sentence

the reigning diva of daytime television
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Lopez plays Ingrid Luna, a screen diva whom Molina idolizes. Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025 Best known for her long-running role as the debauched, aging fashion victim Patsy Stone in the era-defining ’90s British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, Lumley turns the diva dial to 11 as Morticia’s mortuary-mogul mother, Hester Frump. Judy Berman, Time, 6 Aug. 2025 While the gem exhibition was closed for renovation, Michelle Pfeiffer wore many pieces from our collection for the March 1995 issue of Life magazine, including the Hope Diamond and the Mackay Emerald, an Art Deco piece that once belonged to a diva in the New York Metropolitan Opera. Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2025 Berube, who went to Walnut Hill School of the Arts in Natick, spent months learning to sing, dance, strut, and hold a microphone like a modern pop diva. Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 22 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for diva

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of diva was in 1883

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diva.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diva. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

diva

noun
di·​va ˈdē-və How to pronounce diva (audio)
plural divas or dive -ˌvā How to pronounce diva (audio)
1
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)

More from Merriam-Webster on diva

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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