Word
gonzo
US/ˈɡɑnzoʊ/
UK/ɡˈɒnzəʊ/
Definitions
02bizarre or crazy
adj. very strange, wild, or crazy in an exciting way.
adj. exhibiting bizarre, eccentric, or wildly unconventional characteristics.
“The party turned into a gonzo celebration with people dancing on the tables.”
“The director's latest film is a gonzo masterpiece of surreal imagery and non-linear storytelling that left the critics divided.”
Slang
Antonyms
03a wild person
n. a person who acts in a wild, crazy, or very unconventional way.
n. a person characterized by wild, eccentric, or unconventional behavior.
“He is a total gonzo who never follows the rules of the office.”
“The documentary follows a group of gonzos who spent the entire summer traveling across the country in a decorated school bus.”
Slang
Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/gonzo