as in bandit
old-fashioned
a violent criminal who is not afraid of getting hurt or caught
A documentary about some notorious desperados of the Wild West.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of desperado
The latter implies that occasionally a few or many desperados enter the Treasury markets, selling everything in sight with an eye on bringing discipline or whatever to Washington.
—
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
The other actors in the terrific eight-member cast — which includes Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves and Ken Marks — play multiple roles as townsfolk, family members, lawmen, desperados, hucksters and suckers.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 27 Apr. 2025
Still, the robbery sent an Oklahoma sheriff’s posse and bloodhounds after these bungling desperados.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025
Martín Ramírez’s large Caballero features a magnificent desperado pointing his gun as his almost-hieroglyphic horse rears its head — a brilliant universal altarpiece.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for desperado
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
The other actors in the terrific eight-member cast — which includes Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves and Ken Marks — play multiple roles as townsfolk, family members, lawmen, desperados, hucksters and suckers.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 27 Apr. 2025
Still, the robbery sent an Oklahoma sheriff’s posse and bloodhounds after these bungling desperados.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025
Martín Ramírez’s large Caballero features a magnificent desperado pointing his gun as his almost-hieroglyphic horse rears its head — a brilliant universal altarpiece.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for desperado
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperado
Noun
-
The latter seemed to be a proud vindication of corridos, a style that’s been increasingly under scrutiny in música mexicana because of its tradition of name-checking outlaws, bandits, and cartel leaders.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Police arrested one of four snowball bandits caught on camera clobbering the cops with snow.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The movie does attempt to gesture at class and race as thematic underpinnings (the maids trapped in The Virgil are mostly non-white, while the villains are rich Caucasians), but like the story and action at large, these go pretty much nowhere, and feel like obligatory symbols.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Each ship name in the class has fed into a theme on board, with Wish tied to enchantment, Treasure to adventure and Destiny to heroes and villains.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Last year, the county sued NaphCare for its alleged role in the death of Brandon Yates, who was murdered in the Central Jail in 2024 after being wrongly placed into a cell with a violent offender.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Police said an offender is in custody and a weapon was recovered.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Adebayo had a monster first half with 20 points (9 for 14 shooting) and 13 boards against a team that leads the league in rebounding.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Adapted from a Japanese novel, the unusual story revolves around a spirit responsible for guiding transient souls to their next reincarnation, who embarks on a perilous mission with a young girl to prevent her being overwhelmed by her anger and transforming into a monster.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Check out a trailer for Arctic Link here, which touches on the question of whether the internet will turn out to be a savior or a beast.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Mar. 2026
-
All beasts are subject to sudden and violent extinction at the hands of other beasts.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In other words, a sly outlaw but also a SoCal high school burnout.—
Ramon Ramirez,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The wheel itself is a sort of reinterpretation of the original Fuchs, done with outlaw style.—
Howard Walker,
Robb Report,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
