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

For something sleek and chic, there's always Hailey Bieber's current fave, a knotted ballerina bun. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 12 Sep. 2025

Representation hasn’t always been present for little brown ballerinas. —Leslie D. Rose, Parents, 11 Sep. 2025

Take note from the fall 2025 trends and incorporate a burst of red by way of a punchy, lipstick-red ballerina. —Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2025

Cece is a young Black ballerina who has trained tirelessly her entire life and is named the first Black principal dancer for New York City Ballet, much like Misty Copeland was for ABT (coincidentally, this is her final season). —Lauren Morrow september 9, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 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