dramatis personae

dra·ma·tis per·so·nae | \ ˌdra-mə-təs-pər-ˈsō-(ˌ)nē

How to pronounce dramatis personae (audio)

, ˌdrä-, -ˌnī \

Definition of dramatis personae

1 : the characters or actors in a drama

2 singular in construction : a list of the characters or actors in a drama

3 : people who figure prominently in something (such as an event)

Examples of dramatis personae in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Thrilling though the dramatis personae may have been, the protagonist came to a sad end. — Peter Nicholas, The Atlantic, "The End of the Golden Era of Chess," 5 Sep. 2019 But can't the dramatis personae at least try to conceal themselves in the hide-and-seek garden scene? — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, "Classic operas 'The Marriage of Figaro' and 'Rigoletto' round out the St. Louis festival," 18 June 2019 Among Murdoch-watchers, the dramatis personae of Succession isn’t hard to connect to their opposite numbers in the family. — Ben Widdicombe, Town & Country, "Confirmed: Yes, Rupert Murdoch's Family Enjoys Watching "Succession"," 8 Apr. 2019 Like One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gateway to the Moon begins with a dramatis personae that lays out a family tree. — Joe Fassler, The Atlantic, "How Gabriel García Márquez Created a World in a Sentence," 24 Apr. 2018 The dramatis personae of this investigation are thus numerous, high-profile, monied and multi-national. — Nick Hewlett, The New Republic, "Nicolas Sarkozy and the Weakness of Liberal Democracy," 27 Mar. 2018 The dramatis personae is rounded out by Mary Bennett (Naian González Norvind), a young actress new to this insular world. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: ‘Illyria’ Eavesdrops on a Young Joe Papp and Friends," 30 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dramatis personae.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Dramatis personae.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dramatis%20personae. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.

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