persona non grata

American  

[per-soh-nah nohn grah-tah, per-soh-nuh non grah-tuh, grey-, grat-uh] / pɛrˈsoʊ nɑ noʊn ˈgrɑ tɑ, pərˈsoʊ nə nɒn ˈgrɑ tə, ˈgreɪ-, ˈgræt ə /

noun

Latin.

personae non gratae plural

1. a person who is not welcome.

   He has become persona non grata in our club since his angry outburst.

2. a diplomatic representative unacceptable to an accrediting government.

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persona non grata British  

/ pɜːˈsəʊnə nɒn ˈɡrɑːtə /

noun

1. an unacceptable or unwelcome person

2. a diplomatic or consular officer who is not acceptable to the government or sovereign to whom he or she is accredited

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persona non grata Cultural  

1. A person who is no longer favored or welcome: “After my angry words with the manager, I am persona non grata at the video store.” From Latin, meaning “an unacceptable person.”

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• personae non gratae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of persona non grata

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Choi becoming persona non grata for pot hardly seemed fair in light of that horrifying revelation.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026

Beirut declared Mohammad Reza Shibani persona non grata, but he’s still there, at his embassy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

"He has no power. He is persona non grata, and that's not because he did anything wrong ... that's because of the world we live in," she said.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

And once the game began, Kiffin was persona non grata.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026

For almost six years he had been persona non grata.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane