prima donna

noun

pri·ma don·na | \ ˌpri-mə-ˈdä-nə

, ˌprē-\

plural prima donnas

Definition of prima donna

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

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 on the Web

The entire crew is ready to start working, but Gladys is being a prima donna. — Rachel Manteuffel, Washington Post, "Using goats to clear land is ‘way more labor-intensive than anyone can imagine’," 13 Aug. 2019 The five-star prima donna busts and the unrated late bloomers full of heart. — Fletcher Page, Cincinnati.com, "Analysis: Breaking down Luke Fickell's recruiting success with UC Bearcats football," 26 July 2019 The company’s prima donna soprano, Trista Moldovan, exhibits a world-class voice, even though hers is meant to be a secondary talent. — Tom Titus, Daily Pilot, "Review:: On Theater: ‘Phantom’ resurrected with a vengeance at Segerstrom," 15 July 2019 Jennifer Garner Older daughter Violet is about the same age as Suri Cruise, but seems like way less of a pint-size prima donna. — Kim Fusaro, Woman's Day, "Which Famous Moms Would You Want to Be Friends With?," 5 July 2010 The company’s prima donna soprano, Trista Moldovan, exhibits a world-class voice, even though hers is meant to be a secondary talent. — Tom Titus, Daily Pilot, "Review:: On Theater: ‘Phantom’ resurrected with a vengeance at Segerstrom," 15 July 2019 Jennifer Garner Older daughter Violet is about the same age as Suri Cruise, but seems like way less of a pint-size prima donna. — Kim Fusaro, Woman's Day, "Which Famous Moms Would You Want to Be Friends With?," 5 July 2010 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

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.