prima donna

plural prima donnas · plural prime donne · nonstandard plural primae donnae

1. operaThe principal female singer or the leading lady.

   1 more example

   The truth is, the inhabitants of that languid and luxurious city wanted some little variety; and the minister ... supported a favourite actress in the range of first-rate characters in the Opera—supported her against the united musical opinion of Naples. One night she sang worse than ever; and the next morning half the city rose up, demanding liberty and a new prima donna.

   1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, pages 255–256

2. derogatoryinformalA person who considers themselves much more important than others, has high expectations of others and becomes angry when their demands are not met.

   I've had enough of watching scenes / With schizophrenic, egocentric, paranoiac, prima-donnas

   1971, John Lennon, “Gimme Some Truth”, in Imagine

   1 more example

   This year Mata has done more than anyone to give fresh belief that professional football is not only built on greed and staggering wages for its strutting prima donnas. The Manchester United and Spain midfielder, instead, has broken new ground and begun to use football’s power and wealth to help ordinary people around the world.

   2018 January 1, Donald McRae, “The Guardian footballer of the year 2017: Juan Mata”, in the Guardian

   Synonyms: diva, Miss Piggy