persona grata

[ per-soh-nah grah-tah; English per-soh-nuh-grah-tuh, grey-tuh, grat-uh ]

See synonyms for persona grata on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural per·so·nae gra·tae

[per-soh-nahy grah-tahy; English per-soh-nee grah-tee, grey-, grat-ee]. /pɛrˈsoʊ naɪ ˈgrɑ taɪ; English pərˈsoʊ ni ˈgrɑ ti, ˈgreɪ-, ˈgræt i/. Latin.

an acceptable person, especially a diplomatic representative acceptable to the government to which they are accredited.: Compare persona non grata.

Origin of persona grata

First recorded in 1850–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use persona grata in a sentence

Egypt expelled the Turkish ambassador last year, prompting Ankara to declare the Egyptian envoy in Turkey persona non grata.
Turkey Takes in ‘Terrorists’ from the Muslim Brotherhood | Thomas Seibert | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Two of the biggest of those, Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, are currently persona non grata in much of the Western world.
Benedict Cumberbatch on 'The Imitation Game,' Homophobia, and How to Combat ISIS | Marlow Stern | September 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yet they are, as Garcia says, “persona non grata on our own tribal land.”
A Shooting on a Tribal Land Uncovers Feds Running Wild | Caitlin Dickson | August 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
As a result of the FBI designation, ICP was persona non grata in numerous places, including many potential Gathering sites.
A Report From the Misunderstood Gathering of the Juggalos | Steve Miller | July 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Cuba, as every American who took third grade social studies knows, is an isla non grata.
Jay-Z Responds to GOP Critics With 'Open Letter' | Kevin Fallon | April 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

To make my position more intolerable, I am persona non grata with both sides.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
Our witness, in any case, would not be a persona grata to the Society for Psychical Research.
Devil-Worship in France | Arthur Edward Waite
Burleigh was evidently persona non grata in the eyes of both.
Warrior Gap | Charles King
I may have been persona non grata, but, if so, she did not express her feeling.
Birds of the Rockies | Leander Sylvester Keyser
Seeing that I would henceforth be persona non grata at the palace, I sought obscurity in the writing and publication of books.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce | Ambrose Bierce

British Dictionary definitions for persona grata

persona grata

/ Latin (pɜːˈsəʊnə ˈɡrɑːtə) /

nounplural personae gratae (pɜːˈsəʊniː ˈɡrɑːtiː)

an acceptable person, esp a diplomat acceptable to the government of the country to which he or she is sent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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