Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely unconventional, bizarre, or eccentric: Describes something or someone that is strikingly odd, far from normal standards, or wildly exaggerated in style or behavior.
   • In journalism, a style involving the writer's personal involvement and a highly subjective, exaggerated approach: Refers to a style of reporting where the journalist becomes a central participant in the story, often using a first-person narrative and surreal, hyperbolic prose.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective (General):
  • The director is known for his gonzo filmmaking techniques that defy all conventions.
  • She wore a gonzo outfit covered in neon feathers and plastic fruit to the party.
• Adjective (Journalism):
  • The article was written in a gonzo style, with the reporter detailing his own bizarre adventures while investigating the story.
  • Hunter S. Thompson is considered the father of gonzo journalism.

Advanced Usage

• "Gonzo journalism": A specific style of journalism.
  • "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is a prime example of gonzo journalism, blending factual reporting with fictionalized, drug-fueled escapades.
• Used to emphasize extreme or outrageous characteristics.
  • The political rally descended into gonzo chaos, with protesters dressed in costumes and shouting through megaphones.

Variants and Related Words

• Gonzo journalism (n): The specific journalistic style.
• There are no standard verb or noun forms of "gonzo" itself. It is primarily used as an adjective.

Synonyms

• Bizarre: Very strange or unusual.
• Outlandish: Looking or sounding bizarre or unfamiliar.
• Eccentric: Unconventional and slightly strange.
• Off-the-wall: Crazy or extremely unconventional.
• Freakish: Very unusual or strange, especially in a way that is unpleasant or worrying.

Antonyms

• Conventional: Based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed.
• Normal: Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.
• Ordinary: With no special or distinctive features; normal.
• Mainstream: The ideas, attitudes, or activities that are regarded as normal or conventional.

Notes on Meaning

• The term originated in American English in the 1970s, popularized by journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Its exact origin is uncertain but is thought to come from Italian or Spanish slang meaning "fool" or "crazy."
• In general use, it strongly emphasizes a sense of wild, intentional strangeness that rejects normality. In journalism, it specifically denotes a participatory, subjective, and stylistically exaggerated form of reporting.

Adjective

1. conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
   • restaurants of bizarre design--one like a hat, another like a rabbit
   • famed for his eccentric spelling
   • a freakish combination of styles
   • his off-the-wall antics
   • the outlandish clothes of teenagers
   • outre and affected stage antics