What does paparazzo mean?
A paparazzo is a photographer who pursues celebrities and other prominent people in order to photograph them, often without their consent. The term is especially associated with candid, intrusive, or sensational pictures made outside staged public appearances. Although paparazzi photographers may work for newspapers, magazines, or online publishers, the word distinguishes a type of aggressive celebrity photography rather than photography as a profession. It is also used figuratively to describe anyone who persistently records the private lives of famous people. The word became widely known through Federico Fellini's 1960 film La dolce vita and has since developed a generally negative connotation because of intrusive pursuit, harassment, and the publication of images taken without permission. Its irregular plural, paparazzi, is now more common in ordinary usage than the singular form.
nounA photographer who relentlessly pursues celebrities and other prominent people, often photographing them in private or compromising situations. The term can also refer more broadly to intrusive celebrity photographers.
- A photographer who pursues celebrities and other famous or prominent people, usually to obtain candid or sensational pictures.
"The actor complained that a persistent paparazzo had followed him and his family to the restaurant."
"Papparazzi photographers gathered outside the hotel, hoping to photograph the award-winning cast."
"The singer covered her face as a paparazzo tried to take a photograph through the window."
This is the standard and overwhelmingly preferred plural. It is irregular and does not take the regular ending -es.
"Paparazzi crowded the airport when the singer arrived."
The word was popularized by Federico Fellini's 1960 film La dolce vita, whose intrusive photographer character was called Paparazzo.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does paparazzo come from?
The word comes from Italian, where paparazzo was popularized as the name of an intrusive photographer in Federico Fellini's 1960 film La dolce vita. English borrowed it during the early 1960s as the term for a celebrity photographer. The unusual English plural paparazzi reflects the Italian ending rather than the regular plural commonly used with English nouns ending in -o.
How paparazzo is actually used
The term is chiefly journalistic and generally carries a critical or derogatory connotation, emphasizing intrusive and sensational methods. It became especially prominent in the English-speaking world in the 1960s, though the singular form is now less common than the irregular plural paparazzi.
Easily confused with paparazzo
A paparazzo specializes in candid photographs of prominent people, whereas a journalist may report on events or people across many subjects and formats.