persona

American  

[per-soh-nuh] / pərˈsoʊ nə /

noun

• personae,
  plural
• personas
  plural

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• personae
  plural
• personas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of persona

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

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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

See Examples For:

persona personae personas

The limitations are frustrating, Chavez Camacho said, especially “si una persona no sabe leer” — if a person can’t read.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

“He’s a guy who knows how to win a purple district,” Germana had told me, and he’s calibrated his public persona and strategy around that.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

The film, which marks the comedian's debut as a director, revives the persona that originated in a British television segment and went on to star in "Da Ali G Show."

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Nick Andrews, whose social media persona is the Boston Card Hunter, is keeping track of items reported stolen, a number that had exceeded 1,000 by Tuesday morning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

It was true that she hadn’t made it easy; she knows from experience that tough and weird is preferable to pathetic and vulnerable, and she wears her Goth persona like armor.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

To answer that question, you have to meet a couple of the other dramatis personae in this particular farce.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

She might “create a new persona,” as she says on “I Feel So Free,” but even her personae are versions of her true self.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

With a few minor and necessary exceptions dictated by the dramatis personae in certain scenes, Mr. Tucker primarily confines himself to the role of Iago while Mr. Quinn plays Othello.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

In one respect, the dramatis personae in Kananaskis helps.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025

In the case of marrying, the dramatis personae include the person being married and the person doing the marrying.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Initially the two personas were separate; Alexander’s shocking success blurred their distinctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

We all know that social-media personas can be misleading.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

US government lawyers pushed back against the brothers' claims that they had exaggerated their wealth to massage their online personas.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

“The scheme relied on Love’s creation of fictitious personas and display of a lavish lifestyle which Love presented to victims both in person and on social media websites,” federal authorities said in a press release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Everything about our online personas is filtered through our avatars, which allows us to control how we look and sound to others.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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Related Words

• character
• identity
• personality

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