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.
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Recent Examples of desperado
And sometimes the best care is not bringing in a bunch of — as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put it — a throbbing scum of fame-hungry desperados.
—
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for desperado
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for desperado
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperado
Noun
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Deportees from the United States are especially vulnerable to robbery and kidnapping because gangs and bandits assume that their families can pay larger ransoms.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Similarly, Sage’s (Susan Heyward) reverse heel turn and Ashley’s (Colby Minifie) life-saving assistance in the West Wing are apparently good enough deeds to spare these savory villains a more commensurate sentence.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
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John Boyega's ex-Stormtrooper Finn and Han are brothers from another mother, Oscar Isaac's pilot Poe is as cool and refreshing as a tall glass of blue milk, and Adam Driver's Kylo does his best Vader impression as a maniacal villain with some serious emotional issues.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Locations are chosen based on impaired-driving crashes, and first-time DUI offenders face average fines and penalties of $13,500.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
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The governor had publicly questioned whether Peters’ nine-year sentence was too hard for a first-time, nonviolent offender.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The minotaur was a monster, half man and half bull, that was imprisoned in a dark underground labyrinth.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
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This little green creature then tries to help the Minions find more monsters to flesh out their film, a plan that unsurprisingly goes awry.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
Noun
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The pair finished up with Colbert sending a congratulatory cake from the network – a multi-layered wedding-style beast – sailing downward.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
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Everything about it elevates those themes of beauty and the beast within the city, within the culture, within what’s happening, and even within the heroes — that everyone is fighting this battle, even inside their own hearts at times.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
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And outlaw lovers in a wild and combustible romance!—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
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But according to federal officials, the Punjabi Devils were an outlaw gang with ties to the Hells Angels, whose members often wore patches with an outline of Punjab, a region that includes northern India and central eastern Pakistan, and a turbaned skull.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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