SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

prima donna

play

noun pri·ma don·na \ˌpri-mə-ˈdä-nə, ˌprē-\

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

See prima donna defined for English-language learners

See prima donna defined for kids

Examples of prima donna in a Sentence

The actress is a temperamental prima donna.
We are looking for team players, not prima donnas.

Origin and Etymology of prima donna

Italian, literally, first lady

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1754

See Words from the same year

Other Music Terms

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

PRIMA DONNA Defined for English Language Learners

prima donna

play

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

See words that rhyme with prima donna

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up prima donna? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

nobby

play

cleverly stylish

BROWSE DICTIONARY

prima ballerina

primacy

prima donna

prima donnas

primaeval

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which came first?

snarky sarcastic

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-599ca1388698f

Drawing a Conclusion About "Sketchy"

How did "sketchy" come to describe creeps?

2-pairs-of-scissors

What's the Singular of 'Scissors'?

A tricky, double-edged word origin.

a-woman-waits-at-the-end-of-a-gloomy-pier-does-she-wait-for-charon-the-ferryman-to-the-underworld-it-is-dark-but-she-carries-a-parasol

Great Words for Twilight and Darkness

Words for the goth in all of us

bunch-of-yellow-balloons-lit-by-the-sun

Helium: This Word Brought to You by a Solar Eclipse

And by the Sun, with some help from Greek.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz

Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game

Examples: prima donna in a Sentence