persona
noun
per·so·na
| \ pər-ˈsō-nə
, -ˌnä\
, -ˌnä\
plural personae\ pər-ˈsō-(ˌ)nē
, -ˌnī \
or personas
, -ˌnī \
or personas
Definition of persona
1
: a character assumed by an author in a written work
2a
plural personas
[ New Latin, from Latin ]
: an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing — compare anima
b
: the personality that a person (such as an actor or politician) projects in public : image
3
plural personae
: a character in a fictional presentation (such as a novel or play)
—usually used in plural comic personae
Examples of persona in a Sentence
His public persona is that of a strong, determined leader, but in private life he's very insecure.
The band takes on a whole new persona when they perform live.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bonding drunkenly with Tyler over a campfire, Zak dreams up his pro-wrestling persona: Peanut Butter Falcon. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "A Movie Star with Down Syndrome," 15 Aug. 2019 Natalie Wynn, better known as her persona ContraPoints, tells The Verge. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "YouTube videos keep getting longer," 26 July 2019 Much like Karl Lagerfeld, Abloh, through his own multi-hyphenate persona, came to symbolize a new type of fashion designer for a new era. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "From LV x Supreme to Beychella: 14 Collaborations That Actually Mattered in the 2010s," 18 July 2019 His own wry persona never overshadows the voices of past and present inhabitants. — The Economist, "Telling Britain’s story from its “ocean-gouged fringe”," 11 July 2019 That type of persona can be objectionable for many women, said Caldwell and Lindland. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "Why Tesla 'has a problem appealing to women': Electric cars, Elon Musk may be off-putting," 8 July 2019 Cataldo is a prominent local criminal specialist, and has worked to establish the case as complex and to show his client as different from her persona in the media. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Michelle Carter's Defense Attorney, Joseph Cataldo, Is Still Fighting for His Client," 8 July 2019 While Best’s activism primarily focuses on LGBTQ issues, his drag persona highlights another pervasive tension in Israeli society. — Laura E. Adkins, sun-sentinel.com, "20-year-old Israeli combat soldier is also a drag queen," 3 July 2019 The low rating prompted Blough to issue a challenge, promising $250 to any player who could turn his virtual persona into an MVP and Super Bowl champion. — Tyler Kraft, Indianapolis Star, "Former Purdue QB David Blough makes $250 bet after comically low Madden rating," 3 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'persona.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for persona
persona
noun
English Language Learners Definition of persona
: the way you behave, talk, etc., with other people that causes them to see you as a particular kind of person : the image or personality that a person presents to other people
See the full definition for persona in the English Language Learners Dictionary
persona
noun
per·so·na
| \ pər-ˈsō-nə, -ˌnä
\
\
plural personas
Medical Definition of persona
: an individual's social facade or front that especially in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung reflects the role in life the individual is playing — compare anima sense 1
Keep scrolling for more