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I was a very extrovert kid. It felt normal to me to act. I always went to regular schools. I've never been catty or a prima donna, so I never had problems. I always had my seat at the cafeteria when I came back from acting.
Kirsten Dunst

Meaning of "prima donna" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD PRIMA DONNA

From Italian: first lady.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF PRIMA DONNA

prima donna  [ˈpriːmə ˈdɒnə] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF PRIMA DONNA

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Prima donna is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES PRIMA DONNA MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Prima donna

Prima donna, Italian for "first lady", is a term originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies to designate the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano. The corresponding term for the male lead is primo uomo. Prime donne often had grand off-stage personalities and were seen as demanding of their colleagues. From its original usage in opera, the term has spread in contemporary usage to refer to anyone behaving in a demanding or temperamental fashion or has an inflated view of oneself.

Definition of prima donna in the English dictionary

The definition of prima donna in the dictionary is a female operatic star; diva. Other definition of prima donna is a temperamental person.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH PRIMA DONNA


belladonna
ˌbɛləˈdɒnə
dishonour
dɪsˈɒnə
doner
ˈdɒnə
Donna
ˈdɒnə
goner
ˈɡɒnə
gonna
ˈɡɒnə
hizzoner
hɪˈzɒnə
honor
ˈɒnə
honour
ˈɒnə
Madonna
məˈdɒnə
Maradona
ˌmærəˈdɒnə
Murphy-O´Connor
ˈmɜːfɪəʊˈkɒnə
O´Connor
əʊˈkɒnə
Shona
ˈʃɒnə
thronner
ˈθrɒnə
ultramarathoner
ˌʌltrəˈmærəˌθɒnə
wanna
ˈwɒnə
wonner
ˈwɒnə
Yukoner
ˈjuːkɒnə

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE PRIMA DONNA

prima ballerina
prima facie
prima-facie evidence
primacies
primacy
primaeval
primaevally
primage
primal
primal scream
primal scream therapy
primal therapy
primality
primally
primaquine
primaries
primarily
primariness
primary
primary accent

WORDS THAT END LIKE PRIMA DONNA

anna
antenna
canna
Hanna
henna
hosanna
joanna
manna
McKenna
Minna
nanna
penna
pinna
Ravenna
savanna
senna
sienna
Susanna
Susquehanna
Vienna

Synonyms and antonyms of prima donna in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «PRIMA DONNA»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «prima donna» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of prima donna

Translation of «prima donna» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF PRIMA DONNA

Find out the translation of prima donna to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of prima donna from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «prima donna» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

爱慕虚荣
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

prima donna
570 millions of speakers

English

prima donna
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

प्राइमा डोना
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

بريما دونا
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

примадонна
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

prima donna
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

প্রথম দান
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

prima donna
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Prima donna
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Primadonna
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

プリマドンナ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

프리 마돈나
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Prima donna
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

prima donna
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

முதன்மையான டோனா
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

प्रथम डोना
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Prima donna
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

prima donna
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

primadonna
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

Примадонна
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

primadonă
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

prima donna
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

prima donna
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

primadonna
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

prima donna
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of prima donna

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «PRIMA DONNA»

The term «prima donna» is regularly used and occupies the 57.531 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
73
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «prima donna» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of prima donna
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «prima donna».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «PRIMA DONNA» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «prima donna» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «prima donna» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about prima donna

EXAMPLES

5 QUOTES WITH «PRIMA DONNA»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word prima donna.
1
Morris Chestnut
Nah, I'm not a prima donna, but I just don't like being cold and wet.
2
Nigel Cole
The popular image that Hollywood is ruined by difficult prima donna actors is nonsense. They're certainly very nice to directors. I can't say the same about producers, who I found difficult, paranoid, and certifiably insane, mostly.
3
Kirsten Dunst
I was a very extrovert kid. It felt normal to me to act. I always went to regular schools. I've never been catty or a prima donna, so I never had problems. I always had my seat at the cafeteria when I came back from acting.
4
Dakota Blue Richards
The only time I eat alone is if I'm really tired or upset about something or on the phone to one of my friends, when it's easier to be alone. But you can't be too wrapped up in yourself... it starts making you look a little bit prima donna.
5
Barbara Walters
Success can make you go one of two ways. It can make you a prima donna - or it can smooth the edges, take away the insecurities, let the nice things come out.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «PRIMA DONNA»

Discover the use of prima donna in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to prima donna and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Prima Donna: A Novel
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Megan Chance, 2009
2
Callas: Portrait of a Prima Donna
Extraordinary story of the legendary diva's struggles and triumphs — available for the first time in paperback. Features 64 photos of Callas in her personal life and in famous roles. New introduction and epilogue by George Jellinek.
George Jellinek, 1986
3
Prima donna: a history
Guide to opera's greatest female singers over the past 300 years
Rupert Christiansen, 1995
4
Prima Donna
Praise for Karen Swan: ‘A totally original, witty, sexy and engrossing read’ Heat
Karen Swan, 2011
5
The Prima Donna and Opera, 1815-1930
An examination of the female opera singer during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Susan Rutherford, 2006
6
The Arts of the Prima Donna in the Long Nineteenth Century
The Arts of the Prima Donna assembles a star-studded yet well-balanced cast of contributors, whose essays combine theoretical approaches to text and narrative, and current theory on gender, performativity, and the commodification of the ...
Rachel Cowgill, Hilary Poriss, 2012
7
Prima Donna
"Featuring 'The way it is' by Cat Eyez"--Cover.
Keisha Ervin, Eyez Cat, 2011
8
Death of a prima donna
The only person who may be able to shed further light on the enigma of Lea Kralj is the narrator of this novel, a young Frenchman who first met her, in curious circumstances, in Madrid, and pursued her obsessively to Paris, Milan and ...
Brina Svit, 2005
9
How to Become an Instrument Engineer: The Making of a Prima ...
'This book is very light-hearted but does have many valid points concerning the real world. . .I enjoyed the book & have used its Rules of Thumb here at work.' (ISA Analysis Division Newsletter, Dec. 1991).
G. K. McMillan, Stanley Weiner, 1987
10
The Prima Donna
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process.
Sarah Williams, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «PRIMA DONNA»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term prima donna is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Monday Rundown: Comfort and speed
People will probably say we're too prima donna -- the guys in the '70s didn't have any [cooling units] or anything like that, so they're a heck of a ... «ESPN, Jul 15»
2
Police say sorry after Facebook tit-for-tat with "keyboard warrior"
Don't be a prima donna like Miss Piggy, ready to slap when she snaps. Come to think of it, don't be like Kermit, either: that guy doesn't know ... «Naked Security, Jul 15»
3
Mysterium Tremendum: The Strange World Of Lustmord
The subtext is that I won't play in Berlin unless they provide a power plant. That's the kind of prima donna I am! “No, I must have my power plant! «The Quietus, Jul 15»
4
BWW Review: DAMES AT SEA Creates Waves of Smiles at The …
Broadway veteran, Jan Leigh Herndon, played diva and prima donna, Mona Kent. She exceled at bringing to life the humorous and ... «Broadway World, Jul 15»
5
Bihar: A clash of the titans
The alliance with Prasad has also reduced the contest to a straight fight between Kumar and Modi; the Congress, at one time the prima donna ... «Livemint, Jul 15»
6
Hamels shows his talent and grit in no-hitter
... phone calls, and online comments from people who don't like Cole Hamels. People who wish he were tougher. Who call him a prima donna. «Philly.com, Jul 15»
7
Seahawks, Russell Wilson moving toward deadline
Looks like just another prima donna. And I'm an a fan of the Hawks and WIlson. floratiotime says: Jul 25, 2015 2:54 PM. When did he turn into ... «NBCSports.com, Jul 15»
8
A fan's view - Why Sreesanth absolutely, definitely, indubitably …
Let us ignore the fact that on his best day he was a prima donna who rubbed teammates and opposition players up the wrong way. «Sportskeeda, Jul 15»
9
Pacete: When Philippine politics was prima donna
I AM a proselyte of politics. As a young student I would attend political rallies and “miting de avance” to quench my thirst on political and social ... «Sun.Star, Jul 15»
10
Manchester International Festival
Since 2007 28 of the 97 works MIF has commissioned—including Rufus Wainwright's opera “Prima Donna”, Matthew Barney's opera “River of ... «The Economist, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Prima donna [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/prima-donna>. Apr 2024 ».
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