persona

noun

per·​so·​na pər-ˈsō-nə 

-ˌnä

plural personae pər-ˈsō-(ˌ)nē 

-ˌnī

or personas

1

: a character assumed by an author in a written work

2

a

plural personas [New Latin, from Latin] : an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing compare anima

b

: the personality that a person (such as an actor or politician) projects in public : image

3

plural personae : a character in a fictional presentation (such as a novel or play)

—usually used in plural

comic personae

Examples of persona in a Sentence

His public persona is that of a strong, determined leader, but in private life he's very insecure.

The band takes on a whole new persona when they perform live.

Recent Examples on the Web

Morgan silenced the critics and played into her heel persona—one that wants to hold the title for 1,000 days—with a strong victory over Iyo Sky. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Max Clark is a topic unto himself, a lightning rod with a big personality, can’t-miss tattoos, magenta gear and glimmering chains that have become synonymous with his persona. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Revolve also maps user preferences to specific style personas and influencer collections. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 31 July 2026

Giovannoni’s team tested ScamBuster for 60 days and found that different types of human scammers respond differently to the ScamBuster personas. — Kim Key, PC Magazine, 30 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1732, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing persona

• in propria persona
• persona grata
• persona non grata

Rhymes for persona

• annona
• bellona
• cardona
• cinchona
• kimono
• ramona
• belladonna
• desdemona
• bona
• dona
• jonah
• krona

Medical Definition

persona

noun

per·​so·​na pər-ˈsō-nə, -ˌnä 

plural personas

: an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytical psychology of C. G. Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing compare anima sense 1