prima donna

noun

pri·​ma don·​na ˌpri-mə-ˈdä-nə 

ˌprē-

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

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

As a portrait of an artist as a prima donna, a pioneer and, yes, a bona fide genius, the movie is still worth its weight in wire hangers. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2024

Knicks, please don’t trade away scrappy players for prima donnas like Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, etc. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 30 June 2024

Celebrities being rude and acting prima donnas toward restaurant personnel isn’t anything new, the Los Angeles Times noted. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024

Celebrities acting like prima donnas toward restaurant personnel isn’t anything new. —Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, first lady

First Known Use

1754, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

prima donna

noun

pri·​ma don·​na ˌprim-ə-ˈdän-ə 

ˌprē-mə-

plural prima donnas

1

: a principal female singer in an opera or concert organization

2

: a person who is easily hurt or upset or is stuck-up

Etymology

Italian, literally, "first lady"; prima from Latin prima, a feminine form of primus "first," donna from Latin domina "lady, mistress," a feminine form of dominus "master" — related to dame, prime