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

No diva worship or esoteric knowledge of Broadway musicals here. —E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026

Her concert attire took cues from her sound, with a '90s diva-meets-futuristic look. —Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 19 Feb. 2026

As the star of Lizzie McGuire, the Disney sitcom that aired from 2001 to 2004 and turned her into a teen idol, Duff never came across as an untouchable diva. —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2026

But the fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is a diva among houseplants. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 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)