gonzo
Americanadjective
-
(of journalism, reportage, etc.) filled with bizarre or subjective ideas, commentary, or the like.
noun
adjective
-
wild or crazy
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(of journalism) explicitly including the writer's feelings at the time of witnessing the events or undergoing the experiences written about
noun
Etymology
Origin of gonzo
An Americanism first recorded in 1970–75; apparently from the phrase Gonzo journalism used by U.S. journalist Hunter S. Thompson (1939–2005); perhaps from Italian: “simpleton, one easily duped” (of uncertain origin) or from Spanish ganso “a lazy or dull person,” literally, “goose” (from Germanic; goose )
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.
Yet “Marty Supreme” is an undisguised attempt to recreate the gonzo feel of Mr. Safdie’s one hit, 2019’s “Uncut Gems,” made with his brother, Benny, before the two split up.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
On the James Whale Radio Show, the presenter was a cross between a shock jock, talk show host, gonzo roving reporter and working men's club MC.
From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025
Audiences hoping for a gonzo bloodbath will be disappointed that Finnegan keeps his morality murky.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2025
As gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson quipped in 1988, “Yesterday’s weirdness is tomorrow’s reason why.”
From Salon • Feb. 24, 2025
As gonzo journalist Norman Mailer wrote at the time, "Either the convention was sewn up for Humphrey or the convention was soft. No one really knew."
From Salon • Aug. 18, 2024
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.
