diva

noun

di·​va ˈdē-və How to pronounce diva (audio)
plural divas or dive ˈdē-(ˌ)vā How to pronounce diva (audio)
Synonyms of divanext
1
a
music : prima donna sense 1
b
: prima donna sense 2
… if a team asks me to play somewhere else, I'm not going to be a diva about it.— Ettore Lattanzio
2
: a usually glamorous and successful female performer or personality (see personality sense 4b)
a fashion diva
especially : a popular female singer
pop divas
The original diva and Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin, appears to have brought US President Barack Obama to tears (and then to his feet) with a stellar performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman … — Tom Williams

Synonyms

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Examples of diva in a Sentence

the reigning diva of daytime television
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rodgers is a 41-year-old diva who has lost some of his fastball, much of his mobility and has the kind of emotional makeup that could turn Minnesota’s sensational locker room into something of a war zone. — Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025 Cox, star of Clean Slate, reminded us all what a true diva looks like—head to toe. — Larry Stansbury, Essence, 31 Mar. 2025 According to 8 People Who Love It By Ian Kumamoto Somehow until recently, this diva was the literal only canonically trans character in Doctor Who, a series about an immortal two-hearted humanoid alien that has been regenerated into over a dozen different bodies. — Samantha Riedel, Them., 28 Mar. 2025 This led to a public perception that Heigl was a diva. — Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for diva

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, goddess, from Latin, feminine of divus divine, god — more at deity

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of diva was in 1883

Rhymes for diva

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Browse Nearby Words

div
diva
diva blue
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Cite this Entry

“Diva.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diva. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

diva

noun
di·​va ˈdē-və How to pronounce diva (audio)
plural divas or dive -ˌvā How to pronounce diva (audio)
1
a
: PRIMA DONNA sense 1
b
: PRIMA DONNA sense 2
2
: a usually glamorous and successful female performer or celebrity
a fashion diva
especially : a popular female singer
pop divas
Etymology

from Italian diva "goddess," from Latin diva (same meaning)

More from Merriam-Webster on diva

Nglish: Translation of diva for Spanish Speakers

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