How to Use dramatis personae in a Sentence

dramatis personae

plural noun
  • The back of each zine includes an index with the species’ names, like a dramatis personae.
    — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2020
  • Thrilling though the dramatis personae may have been, the protagonist came to a sad end.
    — Peter Nicholas, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2019
  • But can't the dramatis personae at least try to conceal themselves in the hide-and-seek garden scene?
    — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 18 June 2019
  • The dramatis personae of these children’s books was strictly whites only.
    — Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
  • Zeller is not the first director to jumble his dramatis personae, and to maintain a cool composure in the process.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2021
  • Some of that comes from the alpine slide ride of his movies, arguably zanier in their dramatis personae and plots twists than any David Lynch movie.
    — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
  • The war that ensues between her and the rest of the dramatis personae might then have given the second act higher and sharper stakes.
    — Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2023
  • What the evening lacked was theatrical electricity from, and among, the dramatis personae.
    — Dallas News, 10 Oct. 2022
  • Only occasionally did the dramatis personae, singing from scores on stands, even glance at each other.
    — Dallas News, 28 Feb. 2022
  • Neither her laugh nor her dramatis personae are merely for entertainment, though.
    — New York Times, 6 Apr. 2022
  • The dramatis personae at the empty tomb are represented in recitatives and a long soprano aria.
    — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 1 May 2023
  • Violet, the prettiest girl in school, dies in the first chapter (no spoilers—she is listed as dead in the dramatis personae).
    — Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
  • Despite Melle’s deep cuts — including to the dramatis personae — the plot is left pretty intact.
    — New York Times, 13 Feb. 2020
  • The dramatis personae look in different directions, nursing their own thoughts.
    — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 21 Apr. 2021
  • And Jones too often clutters up scenes with body doubles mimicking motions of the dramatis personae.
    — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 4 Aug. 2023
  • Even as conspiracy theories play at spider-web vastness, their dramatis personae are as compact as a tag-team match.
    — Robin Sloan, The Atlantic, 14 May 2020
  • The dramatis personae of the novel are listed at the start, with shorthand descriptions normally reserved for plays.
    — Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2022
  • Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers is among other Scream dramatis personae are back for part seven.
    — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers is among other Scream dramatis personae are back for part seven.
    — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Readers could be assumed to know much of the background and the dramatis personae already; no need to spend much time introducing Tony Fauci.
    — Joshua Sokol, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2022
  • The similarities are deep, and come from a passage describing the book’s colorful dramatis personae.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The dramatis personae of this investigation are thus numerous, high-profile, monied and multi-national.
    — Nick Hewlett, The New Republic, 27 Mar. 2018
  • The book opens with a dramatis personae of sorts — a list of 10 millennials who have had early political success, all of whom Alter has interviewed.
    — Danielle Kurtzleben, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2020
  • If this roster of dramatis personae is hurting your brain, then the effect is probably intended, because not one of the characters is psychologically well.
    — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2022
  • Speaking of which, Walton even put together a commemorative playlist, the range of which mirrors the amiable mutability of her dramatis personae.
    — Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2022
  • The chapters on the quantitative revolution in professional sports scouting and gambling are more lively, with more loving attention to the dramatis personae.
    — Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2012
  • Compounding the uneasiness, the ensemble introduces the dramatis personae in strokes that can seem unnecessarily broad.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2023
  • Nevertheless, the documentary footage also has a polished sheen to it, minimizing the separation between fact and fiction in a way that feels respectful of the subjects, putting them on the same level as the dramatis personae.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
  • In segments written by Tom Abernathy, Natasha serves as host, introducing situations and dramatis personae, and interacting with the audience.
    — New York Times, 31 May 2021
  • Its title gives away little, but the accompanying list of dramatis personae provides several hints, including characters named Seward, Lucy, Harker, and van Helsing.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Nov. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dramatis personae.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: