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

• goddess
• princess
• queen

Examples of diva in a Sentence

the reigning diva of daytime television

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, the 16-time Grammy winner is adding a doe-eyed cartoon pinup to his inimitable list of divas. —Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025

This is the shadow side of what can happen to a Leo diva when no one is around to play their games continuously. —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025

Onstage, McDonald isn’t a Broadway diva, but a storyteller. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025

And of the Canadian vocal diva Céline Dion, the immortal pride of the Quebeçois. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 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)