persona

UK: /pə^rˈsəʊnə/ US: (pər sō′nə)

Inflections of 'persona' (n):

personae

npl

personas

npl

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

per•so•na  (pər sō′nə), n., pl. -nae (-nē), -nas. 

1. a person.
2. Literature personae, the characters in a play, novel, etc.
3. Literature the narrator of or a character in a literary work, sometimes identified with the author.
4. Psychology (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. Psychology a person's perceived or evident personality, as that of a well-known official, actor, or celebrity;
   personal image;
   public role.

• Latin persōna mask, character. See person
• 1905–10

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

persona / pɜːˈsəʊnə/ noun ( -nae / -niː/)

1. (often plural) a character in a play, novel, etc
2. (in Jungian psychology) the mechanism that conceals a person's true thoughts and feelings, esp in his or her adaptation to the outside world

Etymology: Latin: mask