(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.
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
But Knight, Larraín, and Jolie are all careful to avoid reducing Callas to an over-the-top ableist stereotype or portraying her as the ruthless prima donna tigress the media painted her as.
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2024
Think of “La donna è mobile” or “Vissi d’arte.”
From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2023
It rises or falls on the strength of its prima donna.
From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2022
“Is the prima donna ready to play now?”
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
