Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

prima donna

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

Explore M-W

prima-donna
Prima Donna: Trended on April 5, 2012
alt-59e8af1b31525
Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'
alt-59ee3fc46688e
'Dis': From Early Rap to Academic Journals
one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

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.

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

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 hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

burke

play

to suppress quietly or indirectly

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

  • one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
  • Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image989362072
8 Words That Put One Over on You

They'll put one over on you

alt-59ee3fc46688e
'Dis': From Early Rap to Academic Journals

The word has quickly taken center stage

alt-59ea52ed7b96f
Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Where did we get 'freshman' and 'sophomore'?

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

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'

payday
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

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

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