"gonzo" meaning in English

See gonzo in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /ˈɡɑnzoʊ/ [US], /ˈɡɒnzəʊ/ [UK] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gonzo.wav Forms: more gonzo [comparative], most gonzo [superlative]
enPR: gŏnʹzō Rhymes: -ɒnzəʊ 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 templates: {{unc|en|nocap=1}} uncertain, {{cog|it|gonzo||dolt}} Italian gonzo (“dolt”), {{cog|es|ganso||dolt, goose}} Spanish ganso (“dolt, goose”), {{cog|fr|gonze|gonzeaux}} French gonzeaux Head templates: {{en-adj}} gonzo (comparative more gonzo, superlative most gonzo)
  1. (journalism) Using an unconventional, exaggerated, and highly subjective style, often when the reporter takes part in the events of the story. Categories (topical): Mass media, People
    Sense id: en-gonzo-en-adj-p3itz~x6 Disambiguation of People: 28 38 34 0 Topics: journalism, media
  2. Unconventional, bizarre, crazy. [from 1974] Categories (topical): People
    Sense id: en-gonzo-en-adj-Vkm0qonu Disambiguation of People: 28 38 34 0
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: gonzo journalism, gone-zo

Noun

IPA: /ˈɡɑnzoʊ/ [US], /ˈɡɒnzəʊ/ [UK] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gonzo.wav Forms: gonzos [plural]
enPR: gŏnʹzō Rhymes: -ɒnzəʊ 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 templates: {{unc|en|nocap=1}} uncertain, {{cog|it|gonzo||dolt}} Italian gonzo (“dolt”), {{cog|es|ganso||dolt, goose}} Spanish ganso (“dolt, goose”), {{cog|fr|gonze|gonzeaux}} French gonzeaux Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} gonzo (countable and uncountable, plural gonzos)
  1. Gonzo journalism or a journalist who produces such journalism. Tags: countable, uncountable Categories (topical): People
    Sense id: en-gonzo-en-noun-GjHG7d1- Disambiguation of People: 28 38 34 0 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 37 2 58 3
  2. (countable) A wild or crazy person. Tags: countable
    Sense id: en-gonzo-en-noun-kKOheHbG

Inflected forms

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      "_dis1": "0 0",
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      "args": {
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      "expansion": "French gonzeaux",
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  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more gonzo",
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        "comparative"
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    },
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        "superlative"
      ]
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      "name": "en-adj"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
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          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
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            "Society",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
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        {
          "ref": "1972, Richard Pollack, chapter VI, in Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off!:",
          "text": "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!’ ... Some Boston word for weird, bizarre.”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "Using an unconventional, exaggerated, and highly subjective style, often when the reporter takes part in the events of the story."
      ],
      "id": "en-gonzo-en-adj-p3itz~x6",
      "links": [
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          "journalism",
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        [
          "unconventional",
          "unconventional"
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        [
          "exaggerated",
          "exaggerated"
        ],
        [
          "subjective",
          "subjective"
        ],
        [
          "reporter",
          "reporter"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(journalism) Using an unconventional, exaggerated, and highly subjective style, often when the reporter takes part in the events of the story."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "journalism",
        "media"
      ]
    },
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        {
          "ref": "2007, Mark Dery, The Pyrotechnic Insanitarium: American culture on the brink, page 121:",
          "text": "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",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Unconventional, bizarre, crazy."
      ],
      "id": "en-gonzo-en-adj-Vkm0qonu",
      "links": [
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          "bizarre",
          "bizarre"
        ],
        [
          "crazy",
          "crazy"
        ],
        [
          "John A. Simpson",
          "w:John Simpson (lexicographer)"
        ],
        [
          "Edmund S. C. Weiner",
          "w:Edmund Weiner"
        ],
        [
          "The Oxford English Dictionary",
          "w:Oxford English Dictionary"
        ],
        [
          "Clarendon Press",
          "w:Oxford University Press"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "Unconventional, bizarre, crazy. [from 1974]"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "enpr": "gŏnʹzō"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɡɑnzoʊ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɡɒnzəʊ/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɒnzəʊ"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "gone-zo"
    }
  ],
  "word": "gonzo"
}

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          "type": "quote"
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        "A wild or crazy person."
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        "(countable) A wild or crazy person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
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      "enpr": "gŏnʹzō"
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    {
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      "tags": [
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      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɡɒnzəʊ/",
      "tags": [
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      ]
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    },
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    }
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}
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    },
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          "text": "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!’ ... Some Boston word for weird, bizarre.”",
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        "Using an unconventional, exaggerated, and highly subjective style, often when the reporter takes part in the events of the story."
      ],
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          "unconventional",
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        "(journalism) Using an unconventional, exaggerated, and highly subjective style, often when the reporter takes part in the events of the story."
      ],
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        "journalism",
        "media"
      ]
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          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "Unconventional, bizarre, crazy."
      ],
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          "bizarre",
          "bizarre"
        ],
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          "crazy",
          "crazy"
        ],
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          "John A. Simpson",
          "w:John Simpson (lexicographer)"
        ],
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          "Edmund S. C. Weiner",
          "w:Edmund Weiner"
        ],
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          "The Oxford English Dictionary",
          "w:Oxford English Dictionary"
        ],
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          "Clarendon Press",
          "w:Oxford University Press"
        ]
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      ]
    }
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    },
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      ]
    },
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      "ipa": "/ˈɡɒnzəʊ/",
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɒnzəʊ"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "gone-zo"
    }
  ],
  "word": "gonzo"
}

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        {
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      ],
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        "Gonzo journalism or a journalist who produces such journalism."
      ],
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          "Gonzo journalism",
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          "journalist"
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    },
    {
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        "English countable nouns"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A wild or crazy person."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable) A wild or crazy person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "gŏnʹzō"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɡɑnzoʊ/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈɡɒnzəʊ/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
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      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gonzo.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/cc/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-gonzo.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-gonzo.wav.mp3",
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɒnzəʊ"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "gone-zo"
    }
  ],
  "word": "gonzo"
}

Download raw JSONL data for gonzo meaning in English (6.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-13 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (4ba5975 and 4ed51a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.