Definition

Noun: 1. An unacceptable or unwelcome person: A person who is not wanted or is considered undesirable in a particular social or diplomatic context. 2. A diplomat who is not accepted: Specifically, a diplomatic representative who is rejected by the receiving government.

Usage

• The term is used formally to describe a person who has been officially or socially ostracized.
• It is often used in diplomatic, political, and formal social contexts to denote exclusion.

Examples

• After the scandal, the former minister became a persona non grata in political circles and was no longer invited to official events.
• The ambassador was declared persona non grata and given 48 hours to leave the country after the espionage allegations.

Advanced Usage

• To declare someone persona non grata: This is the formal act of officially stating that a person (especially a diplomat) is unacceptable.
  • The host country declared the attaché persona non grata, forcing a recall.

Variants and Related Words

• Persona grata (noun): The opposite term, referring to an acceptable or welcome person, especially a diplomat.
  • The new ambassador was quickly confirmed as persona grata.

Synonyms

• Outcast: A person who has been rejected by their social group.
• Pariah: An outcast; someone who is despised and avoided.
• Unwelcome person: A more general, less formal term.

Notes on Meaning

• The term is a direct loan phrase from Latin, meaning "an unwelcome person."
• Its primary and most specific use is in international diplomacy, where it has a formal legal meaning regarding the rejection of an envoy. Its broader social use is metaphorical, extending this idea of formal unwelcome status to other contexts.

Noun

1. a person who for some reason is not wanted or welcome
2. a diplomat who is unacceptable to the government to which he is sent