personage
personage Lexical Profile
personage Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person, especially one of elevated rank, distinction, or importance.
"Several royal and diplomatic personages attended the state banquet at the palace."
A character in a play, novel, or other literary work, or a historical figure represented in art.
"The novel weaves real historical personages into its fictional narrative of nineteenth-century Paris."
Word Nuance & Usage
Unlike 'person', which is a neutral term for any individual, 'personage' is elevated and usually refers to someone of high rank, fame, or importance (or is used ironically for someone who acts self-important).
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Old French 'personnage', meaning 'station, dignity, or physical form', derived from 'persone' (from Latin 'persona', originally meaning an actor's mask or dramatic character).