prima donna

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

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: prima donna in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of prima donna from the Web

By being one of the few premium wide receivers who is not a prima donna and takes serious pride in his dirty work (including blocking), Jones is one of the NFL’s most respected players.

— andy benoit, SI.com, "How the Julio Jones Holdout Must Play Out," 13 June 2018
Two characters seemingly tossed in to further stimulate the plot are the obsequious hotel bellhop (Robert Moniz) and the ambitious local prima donna (Lori Kelley).

— tom titus, latimes.com, "On Theater: A wild encore for ‘Tenor’ in Newport Beach," 7 June 2018
Some players even act just like prima donna magazine writers and fight with their editors over every word.

— amos barshad, New York Times, "What Happens When Athletes Do the Sportswriting?," 21 Feb. 2018
There is soprano Audrey Luna as the prima donna, whose stratospheric high notes are both an expression of her star power and a token of her inability to blend in with the others.

— joshua kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘The Exterminating Angel’ dazzles in PBS broadcast," 27 Mar. 2018
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has assured fans that superstar Mohamed Salah is no prima donna, despite killing it week in, week out in the Premier League.

— SI.com, "Mignolet Insists Red Hot Mohamed Salah's Feet Are Firmly on the Ground as Purple Patch Continues," 19 Dec. 2017
After another humiliating game for the Indianapolis Colts, this one a 27-0 loss on Sunday to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the losers’ prima donna receiver decided to point a finger.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Pointing fingers at clueless T.Y. Hilton and the hopeless Colts," 22 Oct. 2017
The situation Tuesday had tough guys around baseball – and less tough guys (writers) who work at keyboards – shaking their heads at what many thought was prima donna behavior by Strasburg when his team needs him the most.

— tod leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hot reads: After all the drama, now Strasburg will start for Nats," 11 Oct. 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1754

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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