personage
Americannoun
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an important or distinguished person
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another word for person
a strange personage
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rare a figure in literature, history, etc
Related Words
See person.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of personage
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English: “body or image (statue, portrait) of a person” (from Old French ), from Medieval Latin persōnāgium. See person, -age
Explanation
In history and literature, a personage is an important person, a notable figure whose actions and decisions have a major impact on events. The word personage comes from the Latin persona, meaning "mask" or "character." In fact, a character in a play is sometimes referred to as a personage. Outside of theater, the word typically refers to someone of great significance or distinction, such as a monarch, a president, or an influential cultural leader with impressive achievements or clout. On the other hand, personage can also be used more broadly to refer to any person, important or not.
Vocabulary lists containing personage
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.
Stanton is a huge and consequential personage in American history, but she has dwindled in the eyes of posterity to become a subordinate of Anthony.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Musk is a unique personage in the CEO ranks, as the Yale researchers observe — “the world’s wealthiest person and CEO of the most valuable automaker by market capitalization.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2025
Musk’s unrestrained, all-access scourge through the government has led pundits like Nate Silver to compare him to a ‘great man’ of history — that mythic personage whose unhindered agency pushes history forward.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2025
Security Council’s five permanent members, only the United States, in the personage of President Joe Biden, spoke.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 26, 2023
It was this realization, along with the fact that he was in M. Dupont's room, presumably addressing this most crucial personage, that caused me to stop my hand from knocking, and continue to listen instead.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
