persona non grata

American  

[per-soh-nah nohn grah-tah, per-soh-nuh non grah-tuh, grey-, grat-uh] / pɛrˈsoʊ nɑ noʊn ˈgrɑ tɑ, pərˈsoʊ nə nɒn ˈgrɑ tə, ˈgreɪ-, ˈgræt ə /

noun

Latin.

personae non gratae plural

1. a person who is not welcome.

   He has become persona non grata in our club since his angry outburst.

2. a diplomatic representative unacceptable to an accrediting government.

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persona non grata British  

/ pɜːˈsəʊnə nɒn ˈɡrɑːtə /

noun

1. an unacceptable or unwelcome person

2. a diplomatic or consular officer who is not acceptable to the government or sovereign to whom he or she is accredited

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persona non grata Cultural  

1. A person who is no longer favored or welcome: “After my angry words with the manager, I am persona non grata at the video store.” From Latin, meaning “an unacceptable person.”

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• personae non gratae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of persona non grata

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

persona non grata

Choi becoming persona non grata for pot hardly seemed fair in light of that horrifying revelation.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

It declared Basilio Gutierrez persona non grata but did not offer a specific reason for the decision.

From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026

All this made Mr. Amodei persona non grata in the Trump administration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

"He is persona non grata, and that's not because he did anything wrong ... that's because of the world we live in," she said.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

Ladd Devine himself had never attended a session; and Horsethief Shorty Wilson was persona non grata because although everyone knew he cheated, nobody could catch him at it; hence, Shorty was impossible to beat.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols