paparazzi

This page is about the eponym paparazzi

Meaning

photographers who work independently and follow celebrities to get photographs of them, often in an intrusive way

For example

  • The singer went out by a side door because ten paparazzi were waiting on his lawn. But one paparazzo was hiding by the side door and got a photo.

  • The paparazzi wanted a photograph of the actor's child on the first day of kindergarten.

Note:
The singular form is paparazzo. People sometimes use the plural form paparazzi in the singular sense (non-standard).

Origin: In the 1960s film La Dolce Vita, there is a news photographer named Paparazzo who works for gossip magazines. The Italian word "paparazzo" was chosen for the character's name because it sounds like the buzz of an annoying insect.

Quick Quiz

Why is she disguised as a man?

a. She is posing for the paparazzi.

b. She's hoping to avoid the paparazzi.

c. She is a paparazzo.
a) She is posing for the paparazzi. b) She's hoping to avoid the paparazzi. c) She is a paparazzo.

Contributor: Tara Benwell