ballerina

American  

[bal-uh-ree-nuh] / ˌbæl əˈri nə /

noun

• ballerinas
  plural

1. a principal female dancer in a ballet company.

2. any female ballet dancer.

3. a woman's very low-heeled or heelless shoe or slipper, made to resemble a ballet slipper.

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ballerina British  

/ ˌbæləˈriːnə /

noun

1. a female ballet dancer

2. the principal female dancer of a ballet company

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ballerina Cultural  

1. In ballet, a female dancer. (See prima ballerina.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ballerinas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ballerina

1785–95; < Italian, feminine of ballerino professional dancer, probably equivalent to baller ( ia ) dance ( ball ( are ) to dance (< Late Latin; see ball ²) + -eria < Old French; see -ery) + -ino -ine ¹

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Explanation

A girl or woman who dances professionally with a ballet is a ballerina. The lead dancer in "The Nutcracker" is a ballerina. It's more common to call a female dancer a "ballet dancer" than a ballerina these days. Historically, the term ballerina was saved for the very best female solo dancers in a ballet company, similar to the word diva in opera. In French, you call a female dancer a danseuse, and while the word ballerina means "dancing girl" in Italian, it's more accepted to use the word danzatrice in Italy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ballerina ballerinas

A trained ballerina, Bardot helped popularise the Repetto brand after asking the company to make her a version for everyday use.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

The ballerina collaboration, Reichert said, would be part of the company’s efforts to hold consumers’ attention with new shoes and sandals in the years ahead.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

One of Japan’s most celebrated dancers, she is the prima ballerina in the storied Matsuyama Ballet Company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

And for those who think age is a state of mind, I recommend our profile of Yoko Morishita, the Japanese prima ballerina still going strong at 77.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

On the night table a ballerina held aloft a lamp shade, and a soft pink light bathed her porcelain tutu, accentuating the curves of her strong legs.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

“Many of them have been stretched into new silhouettes of the Samba, for example, into both ballerinas, into mules, into Mary Janes.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

In the piece, young ballerinas are captured during a studio class.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Arguably most prominent was her role as the central of five ballerinas in “Divertimento No. 15,” Balanchine’s Mozart-inspired confection from 1956, where she displayed gyroscopic turns and air-filled, feathery footwork.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

Blessedly, these ballerinas didn’t learn their skills in prison or the foster system, and their tutus are not fodder for a satanic pyre.

From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026

I suggested that she change her name to something more exotic, like Svetlana, Tatiana, or Natalia, names of Russia’s most famous ballerinas.

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince

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