ballerina

noun

bal·​le·​ri·​na ˌba-lə-ˈrē-nə 

: a woman who is a ballet dancer : danseuse

Examples of ballerina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition to Fogel, that deal omitted several other Americans imprisoned in Russia, including musician Michael Travis Leake, U.S. Army staff sergeant Gordon Black and Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2025

Glad to take this on, the ballerina turned the opportunity into an off-the-playbook burst of excitement. —Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025

The skirt fanned out into an asymmetrical silhouette printed with Degas’s famous ballerinas. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2025

The dress featured a tulle skirt printed with Impressionist painter Degas’ signature ballerinas. —Julia Teti, WWD, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "woman who dances professionally or for pleasure," feminine counterpart of ballarino, ballerino "professional dancer, person who loves to dance," from ballare "to dance" (going back to Late Latin ballāre) + -ar-, -er-, extension in nominal derivation + -ino, suffix of occupations (as in postino "mailman," scalpellino "stonemason"), going back to Latin -īnus -ine entry 1 — more at ball entry 3

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ballerina

• prima ballerina

Rhymes for ballerina

• acarina
• casuarina
• celestina
• concertina
• filipina
• foramina
• leucaena
• littorina
• scarlatina
• semolina
• serotina
• signorina

Kids Definition

ballerina

noun

bal·​le·​ri·​na ˌbal-ə-ˈrē-nə 

: a female ballet dancer