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prima donna

noun pri·ma don·na \ ˌpri-mə-ˈdä-nə , ˌprē- \
|Updated on: 4 May 2018

Definition of prima donna

plural prima donnas
1 : a principal female singer in an opera or concert organization
2 : a vain or undisciplined person who finds it difficult to work under direction or as part of a team

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Examples of prima donna in a Sentence

  1. The actress is a temperamental prima donna.

  2. We are looking for team players, not prima donnas.

Recent Examples of prima donna from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of prima donna

Italian, literally, first lady

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

PRIMA DONNA Defined for English Language Learners

prima donna

noun

Definition of prima donna for English Language Learners

  • : the main female singer in an opera company

  • : a person who thinks she or he is better than everyone else and who does not work well as part of a team or group

Learn More about prima donna

  1. See words that rhyme with prima donna Spanish Central: Translation of prima donna

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