(initial capital letter) Madam; Lady: an Italian title of respect prefixed to the given name of a woman.
an Italian lady.
1660–70; < Italian < Latin domina, feminine of dominus
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The prima donna in extremis in Pearl Cleage’s “Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous,” which is having its Los Angeles premiere at the Geffen Playhouse, has an air of Bette Davis extravagance to her.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026
Starring Vanessa Williams as the titular prima donna, the brilliantly named Ebony Scrooge, the film follows Ebony’s transformation from penny-pinching pop star to charitable altruist.
From Salon • Dec. 24, 2025
The film may lull periodically, but all else fades away when the prima donna takes center stage for her aria.
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2024
“La donna è mobile”? That’s about how milk squirts out your nose if you happen to laugh at exactly the wrong time.
From New York Times • May 5, 2023
She knew they all thought she was just a spoiled prima donna who didn’t know anything about music.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
