mondo
1 Americannoun
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mondo1
First recorded in 1925–30; from Japanese mondō, earlier mondau “rapid question and answer, catechesis between a rōshi (master) and student,” from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese wèn “inquire” + dá “reply”
Origin of mondo2
First recorded in 1965–70; from Italian mondo “world,” extracted from the film Mondo Cane ( “A Dog's World” ) (1962) and reinterpreted as an adverb in Italian or pseudo-Italian phrases such as mondo bizarro “very bizarre,” literally, “bizarre world”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The City Section track preliminaries and finals will be run on Birmingham High’s new Mondo track, which is like running on a carpet and improves times.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2025
The City Section finals will be May 22 on Birmingham’s new Mondo track.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2025
Sweden's Mondo Duplantis, who broke his own world record in winning pole vault gold, was named male field athlete of the year, with Ukrainian high jump gold medallist Yaroslava Mahuchikh taking the female award.
From BBC • Dec. 1, 2024
Global stars such as gymnast Simone Biles, tennis player Novak Djokovic and pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis lived up to their billing.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2024
“I also want the Mondo Upgrade Package,” I said.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
