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

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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.
There should be an entire new The Good Wife spinoff dedicated to Dina slicing down defensive divas. — Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2025 Friends told me to brace myself for the petulant movie star, the diva. — Devan Díaz, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025 That continued Sunday night at the 2025 Oscars, where the 59-year-old South America screen diva was nominated for best actress for her powerful performance as grieving mother of five whose politician husband has disappeared amid the darkest days of 1970s Brazil’s military dictatorship. — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Mar. 2025 Lady Gaga wears a meat dress (2010 VMAs) Lady Gaga's rise to fame turned into a game of fashion brinkmanship, with the ascendant diva constantly topping herself for eccentric style. — Ew Staff, EW.com, 1 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

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diva
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Cite this Entry

“Diva.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diva. Accessed 25 Mar. 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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