personage

noun

per·​son·​age ˈpərs-nij 

ˈpər-sə-nij

1

: a person of rank, note, or distinction

especially : one distinguished for presence and personal power

2

: a human individual : person

3

: a dramatic, fictional, or historical character

also : impersonation

Synonyms

• baby
• being
• bird
• bod [British]
• body
• character
• cookie
• cooky
• creature
• customer
• devil
• duck
• egg
• face
• fish
• guy
• head
• human
• human being
• individual
• life
• man
• mortal
• party
• person
• scout
• slob
• sort
• soul
• specimen
• stiff
• thing
• wight

Examples of personage in a Sentence

The premiere was attended by no less a personage than the president himself.

these sci-fi conventions attract personages of every description

Recent Examples on the Web

Everyone here is a personage, but only these two are phenomena. —Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025

At midcentury, Marianne Moore emerged as a public personage, but not before a painful period of loss. —Susan Gubar june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025

Once, some 2,000 years ago, so many such personages (then known as barbarians) came to Paris simultaneously that the city was destroyed. —Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025

The scenario’s bachelor No. 2 arrives in the brooding personage of Oliver (Charlie Anson), the great-great-great-great-nephew of Austen herself. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

personage

noun

per·​son·​age ˈpərs-nij 

-ᵊn-ij

1

: an important or famous person

2

: a character in a book or play