persona

noun

per·​so·​na pər-ˈsō-nə 

-ˌnä

plural personae pər-ˈsō-(ˌ)nē 

-ˌnī

or personas

1

: a character assumed by an author in a written work

2

a

plural personas [New Latin, from Latin] : an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing compare anima

b

: the personality that a person (such as an actor or politician) projects in public : image

3

plural personae : a character in a fictional presentation (such as a novel or play)

—usually used in plural

comic personae

Examples of persona in a Sentence

His public persona is that of a strong, determined leader, but in private life he's very insecure.

The band takes on a whole new persona when they perform live.

Recent Examples on the Web

For more about how to tell generative AI to carry out a pretense, known as an AI persona, see my coverage at the link here. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

Everything from her enigmatic persona to her underlying strength reflects this Water sign’s ability to cut through superficialities and get to the heart of things. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 13 Jan. 2025

While some fans online suggested that Hogan should embrace his iconic heel persona from the nWo days, sources within WWE indicated that this was never part of the original plan. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025

Think George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis, whose public personas might best be rendered in broad strokes of beige, taupe and, yes, gray. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1732, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing persona

• in propria persona
• persona grata
• persona non grata

Medical Definition

persona

noun

per·​so·​na pər-ˈsō-nə, -ˌnä 

plural personas

: an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytical psychology of C. G. Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing compare anima sense 1