gonzo
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gonzo
- /ˈɡɑnzoʊ/ US
- /ˈɡɒnzəʊ/ UK
Sounds like gone-zo · Rhymes with -ɒnzəʊ
Where it comes from
Coined in 1971 by Boston Globe editor Bill Cardoso. Of uncertain origin; OED proposes Italian gonzo (“dolt”) and / or Spanish ganso (“dolt, goose”). The etymology supplied by Cardoso himself (French gonzeaux) is spurious; French does have a similar word gonze, but this is a loan from Italian.
adjective more gonzo · most gonzo
- Using an unconventional, exaggerated, and highly subjective style, often when the reporter takes part in the events of the story. I ask Hunter to explain ... Just what is Gonzo Journalism? ... “Gonzo all started with Bill Cardosa ^([sic]), ... after I wrote the Kentucky Derby piece for Scanlan's ... the first time I realized you could write different. And ... I got this note from Cardosa saying, ‘That was pure gonzo journalism
- Unconventional, bizarre, crazy. Nicholson’s Torrance is an evil clown ... Appropriately, pop culture has embraced him as a gonzo antihero: Ads for T-shirts emblazoned with the “Here’s Johnny” Nicholson
noun gonzos
- Gonzo journalism or a journalist who produces such journalism. “Unstable” indeed! Those swine: Next year we should demand a gonzo category – or maybe R S should give it. Of course: “The first annual Rolling Stone award for the year's finest example of pure gonzo journalism.”
- A wild or crazy person.
Talk about this word "gonzo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gonzo. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gonzo. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gonzo "gonzo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gonzo.Cite this
@misc{gonzo_2026,
title = {gonzo},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gonzo},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
