persona

American  

[per-soh-nuh] / pərˈsoʊ nə /

noun

plural

personae, personas

1. a person.

2. personae, the characters in a play, novel, etc.

3. the narrator of or a character in a literary work, sometimes identified with the author.

4. (in the psychology of C. G. Jung) the mask or façade presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the inner personality of the individual; the public personality (contrasted with anima).

5. a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well-known official, actor, or celebrity; personal image; public role.

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persona British  

/ pɜːˈsəʊnə /

noun

1. (often plural) a character in a play, novel, etc

2. an assumed identity or character

3. (in Jungian psychology) the mechanism that conceals a person's true thoughts and feelings, esp in his adaptation to the outside world

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Usage

What does persona mean? A persona is the image or personality that a person presents in public or in a specific setting—as opposed to their true self. The word is especially used in the phrase public persona, referring to the personality that a person presents in public and that they are known for by most people. The term is usually used in reference to public figures, such as politicians and celebrities, to contrast with “what they’re really like.”For example, someone’s public persona might be outgoing and social, while their true personality is shy and reserved. Of course, it’s also possible that someone’s public persona matches their true personality. In psychology, the word persona refers to the identity that a person takes on to adapt to the outside world or to a certain situation—their “mask” or facade. In literature, persona refers to a character in a story, especially the narrator. Much less commonly, persona can simply refer to a person. The Latin term persona appears in the phrase persona non grata, referring to a person who is not welcome. The correct plural of persona can be personas or personae. (The plural ending -ae is used in other formal plurals of Latin-derived words, such as antennae—the plural of antenna.)Example: In public, Ahmad’s persona is that of a confident leader, but in private he’s timid and kind of insecure.

Etymology

Origin of persona

First recorded in 1905–10, persona is from the Latin word persōna mask, character. See person

Explanation

Your persona is the public image you present to the world. When T.S. Eliot wrote in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" about preparing "a face to meet the faces that you meet," he had the persona in mind. In ancient Latin the word persona meant "mask." The word also can refer to a character played by an actor. While a persona is not considered a lie or a falsehood, its meaning implies that it is only part of the truth. Like all masks, there is "real" person beneath. Often a performer will take on a persona to express certain parts of himself: the rapper Eminem also goes by the name Slim Shady to express his darker self.

Example Sentences

Her social media persona generally follows the same restraint.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

However, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI recently said it identified "goblin" and "gremlin" creeping into its systems' responses - a quirk it believes arose after a tool it trained to have a nerdy persona incentivised mentioning the creatures.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

I use the name Coco Ono as a performance construct, as a persona, and I use it to distort issues around labor and desire.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

The episode, featuring double-duty guest host and musical guest Olivia Rodrigo, leaned more on character beats than policy specifics, with the cold open focusing on tone and persona rather than headlines.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

For almost six years he had been persona non grata.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• character
• identity
• personality