Agency Dictionary

Persona

nounPronunciation: /pɜːˈsəʊ.nə/

In Portuguese: Persona

What does “Persona” mean?

The public face or role that a person or entity presents to the world, distinct from private inner reality.

Etymology

A learned borrowing directly from Latin persona (mask, theatrical character, role, person), whose ultimate origin is uncertain. The most cited proposal traces it through Etruscan phersu (mask, masked actor), which may in turn come from Ancient Greek prosopon (face, mask). The word is a doublet of person and parson, which reached English through Old French by the regular inherited path from the same Latin source. The modern psychological sense of a public face was developed in the twentieth century.

Usage note

In Jungian psychology, the persona is the social face an individual wears to manage interactions with the world, as distinct from the shadow (repressed self) and the self (the integrated whole). In UX and marketing, a persona is a fictional representative user profile.

Synonyms

role
character
image
identity
mask

Word family

personal
personality
impersonate
person
personify

Usage examples

But over time, the term "persona" evolved to include the concept of an individual's distinctive character or identity beyond theatrical performances.

Concepts

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

MetaMarketing.2 - Time to BrandJuly 3, 2023Read the edition

Words of the same theme

vocationnoun: A strong innate inclination or sense of purpose toward a particular career, craft, or calling.
Consumernoun: An individual or group that acquires, purchases, or consumes physical or commercial goods and services for personal use. In marketing, consumers are studied for purchasing patterns and brand preferences.
Synchronicitynoun: The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear meaningfully related yet lack a direct causal connection.
recipientnoun: The person who receives something. In communication, the one to whom a message is addressed and who interprets it, as opposed to the sender who composes it.
Stigmanoun: A mark of social disgrace, shame, or prejudice associated with a particular circumstance, trait, or behavior.
clevernessnoun: The mental quality of being quick-witted, agile, and ingenious in solving specific situational problems.
pain pointnoun: A specific problem, difficulty or frustration that a person experiences when using a product or a service, and that design or marketing sets out to solve.
target audiencenoun: The specific group of people that a message, a product or a campaign is meant to reach, defined by what they have in common, such as needs, habits or interests.
briefingnoun: A concise set of instructions or background information provided to guide a project or creative assignment.
collective consciousnessnoun: The set of beliefs, ideas and feelings shared by the members of a society, which exists beyond any single person. By extension, what a community knows and repeats in common.
Abyssnoun: A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm, either in physical geography or metaphorical psychological depth. It evokes feelings of unfathomable emptiness or existential peril.

Also from these editions: terms

Resiliencenoun: The capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, tough conditions, or shock.
Authenticitynoun: The quality of being real, genuine, and true to one's own character or stated origins.
Bifurcationnoun: The division of something into two separate branches, directions, or parts.
Contextualadjective: Depending on, relevant to, or determined by the surrounding circumstances or environment.
Differentiationnoun: The act or process of distinguishing between two or more items or establishing uniqueness.
Interdisciplinaryadjective: Involving or combining two or more academic disciplines or professional specialized fields.
Mannerismnoun: A habitual gesture, distinctive personal style, or idiosyncratic behavioral trait.
Memorabilitynoun: The quality of being easy to remember, noteworthy, or enduring in human recollection.
narrativenoun: A spoken or written account of connected events, forming a coherent story or conceptual perspective.
Preposterousadjective: Contrary to reason or common sense, utterly absurd or ridiculous.
Symbolicadjective: Serving as a representation of something intangible or carrying deeper non-literal meaning.