diva

American  

[dee-vuh, -vah] / ˈdi və, -vɑ /

noun

• divas,
  plural
• dive
  plural

1. a distinguished female singer; prima donna.

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diva British  

/ ˈdiːvə /

noun

1. a highly distinguished female singer; prima donna

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• divas
  plural
• dive
  plural

Etymology

Origin of diva

1880–85; < Italian < Latin dīva, feminine of dīvus god; cf. divine

Explanation

Technically, a diva is a big-time female opera star. Beverly Sills and Maria Callas were two of the world's most renowned divas. More commonly, though, we call anyone who thinks they're more fabulous than everyone else a diva. The word diva was a compliment, one reserved for only the greatest singers in the world. Lately, though, diva has come to describe someone that's acting entitled or holier than thou. A person who acts like the world revolves around her is a diva. If you walk into a packed restaurant and demand the best table snapping, "Don't you know who I am?", well, that's diva behavior.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diva divas dive

Panettiere, who earned acclaim for her roles as a cheerleader with supernatural powers on the TV show “Heroes” and as a troubled country music diva on the show “Nashville,” was 36.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Tyler's manager Matthew Davies spoke of the singer's humble personality, saying she was "always a star but never a diva".

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The singer herself says that she is "immensely honoured" to be part of the Cesaria Evora Orchestra, which performs around the world to keep alive the music of the "barefoot diva" who died in 2011.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

The French striker is either a genius or a diva who has been booed by his own fans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

After settling the issue of the pear with Zach, he turns to Britney Harron, who fully inhabits her role as Truman Drama’s designated diva.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Kemp said that, alongside Saturday's headliner Raye, the weekend's line-up had "spanned a generation of divas".

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Here, she discusses the jazz warm-up she’s used for decades, dealing with stage fright and loving the divas she plays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

“Most gay boys I knew tended to fawn over other divas of the era, but my chosen idol was Merle.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025

Pop divas like Charli XCX and Chappell Roan have dominated the airwaves, and even alternative R&B has broken through to the public because of silly TikTok memes and dances.

From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2024

She stood before the screen, certain she could practically smell the restaurant, the heavy perfumes of a room full of divas and ingénues.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

A delicious deep dive on a chicken-finger empire: Raising Cane’s has inspired a near-religious following, with devotees traveling across state lines and camping overnight for store openings, all to worship at the altar of chicken.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

But for anyone to dive deeper, the movie first had to get people’s eyes.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

Enrollments are forecast to take a dive in coming years, but that won’t necessarily make admission less competitive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

On July 12, dive team members with California State Parks searched Doane Pond but did not find her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Kids mob the front row, cheering and calling for me to stage dive.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman