What does divo mean?
A divo is a celebrated male performer — most classically an opera singer of great renown — and, by extension, any man who behaves with the vanity, temperament, and exaggerated self-importance stereotypically associated with such stars. The word is the masculine counterpart to diva, which entered English earlier and remains far more common. In everyday use, calling someone a divo is rarely neutral: it teases or criticizes him for being demanding, dramatic, or obsessed with his own image, whether he is a famous tenor insisting on special treatment backstage or a colleague who hogs credit and attention. Because it borrows the glamour of the opera house while puncturing it with irony, the word works well in both affectionate banter and pointed criticism. Though still comparatively rare in English, divo has gained visibility as coverage of celebrity culture has looked for a masculine equivalent of the much-used diva.
nounA celebrated male singer or performer, especially an opera star, regarded as temperamental or vain; by extension, any man with an exaggerated sense of his own importance who behaves in a demanding, self-dramatizing way.
- A distinguished male opera singer or performer, especially one regarded as temperamental or egotistical.
- Informally, any man who behaves in a vain, demanding, or self-dramatizing manner.
"The tenor arrived forty minutes late and demanded a specific brand of mineral water — the classic behavior of a true divo."
"The young baritone was hailed as Italy's newest divo after his triumphant debut at La Scala."
"He refused to rehearse unless his dressing room was stocked with orchids — he was being a complete divo about it."
The regular English plural 'divos' is standard; the Italian-style plural 'divi' appears occasionally in opera criticism but is not widely used.
"The gala brought together two legendary divos of twentieth-century opera."
Every diva needs her counterpart — and the world of opera quietly coined 'divo' for the men who act just as grandly.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of divo
Divo comes from Italian, where it means a divine or godlike man, ultimately deriving from the Latin adjective divus, meaning 'divine' or 'deified'. It is thus a direct masculine counterpart to diva, which English borrowed from Italian considerably earlier, in the nineteenth century. Divo entered English more recently, largely through writing about opera, retaining both the sense of a stellar male performer and the implication of theatrical temperament. Its Latin root also underlies related English words such as divine, deity, and deify.
Related word forms
How divo is actually used
The word is informal and often carries a teasing or mildly critical connotation when applied outside opera, implying vanity or fussiness. The anglicized plural 'divos' is standard in English, though the Italian-style plural 'divi' occasionally appears in writing about opera. It is far less common than its feminine counterpart 'diva'.
Easily confused with divo
A diva is the corresponding female term for a distinguished or demanding female singer or self-important person, while divo refers to a man.