persona

/ˈpʌrˌsoʊnə/

/pəˈsʌʊnə/

Other forms: personae; personas

Your persona is the public image you present to the world. When T.S. Eliot wrote in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" about preparing "a face to meet the faces that you meet," he had the persona in mind.

In ancient Latin the word persona meant "mask." The word also can refer to a character played by an actor. While a persona is not considered a lie or a falsehood, its meaning implies that it is only part of the truth. Like all masks, there is "real" person beneath. Often a performer will take on a persona to express certain parts of himself: the rapper Eminem also goes by the name Slim Shady to express his darker self.

Definitions of persona

1. noun

   (Jungian psychology) a personal facade that one presents to the world
   synonyms: image

   type of:

   appearance, visual aspect

   outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
2. noun

   an actor's portrayal of someone in a play, film, etc...
   synonyms: character, part, role, theatrical role

   types:

   bit part, minor role

   a small role

   heavy

   a serious (or tragic) role in a play

   hero

   the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem

   ingenue

   the role of an innocent artless young woman in a play

   name part, title role

   the role of the character after whom the play is named

   heroine

   the main good female character in a work of fiction

   baddie, villain

   the principal bad character in a film or work of fiction

   cameo

   a brief appearance by a well-known actor in a movie or play

   soubrette

   a minor female role as a pert flirtatious lady's maid in a comedy

   type of:

   characterisation, characterization, enactment, personation, portrayal

   acting the part of a character on stage; dramatically representing the character by speech and action and gesture