persona
Americannoun
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personae,
plural
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personas
plural
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a person.
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personae, the characters in a play, novel, etc.
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the narrator of or a character in a literary work, sometimes identified with the author.
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(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).
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a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well-known official, actor, or celebrity; personal image; public role.
noun
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(often plural) a character in a play, novel, etc
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an assumed identity or character
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(in Jungian psychology) the mechanism that conceals a person's true thoughts and feelings, esp in his adaptation to the outside world
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing persona
Poetry: Literary Devices
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The Hate U Give
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Vocabulary from Beyoncé's "Lemonade"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the main character of the first entries in the series, inspired the outfits and high-flying style of his "aerial assassin" persona.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
She was merry about her public persona and invented a Dolly who would be famous forever and stuck with it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
In the public eye, Parton the person was always willing to take a backseat to her persona.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Its storytelling economy is just as crafty, finding splendor with humble tools, and distills Parton’s whole persona into one perfect song.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
And with the accent emerged a new persona, apologetic and self-abasing.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“Like a Cat Loves a Bird” separates Spark’s character into 13 personae, each one highlighting an element of her writing that seems to color that part of her personality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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
It is also a world in which digital personae appear ready to lure the unsuspecting to places they may never return from.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2024
The fantasy that every bad man would get his due, with the violent ones in jail and the manipulative ones made personae non grata, has not played out.
From Slate ● May 29, 2024
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
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
Their conversation explores characters who hide their true nature behind carefully constructed personas, the role of technology in enabling obsession and revenge, and the social rituals that define contemporary London.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
Here’s a guide to the personas AI models have taken on in recent rogue episodes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 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
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.
