desperado

noun

Definition of desperadonext
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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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 Most are not desperados on the run. — William Morris, Des Moines Register, 4 Mar. 2026 Liu returned to skating in late 2024 after two and a half years, with the clearheaded intention to be a performance artist, not a medal-seeking desperado. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026 These are desperadoes in the White House. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for desperado
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperado
  1. bandit
  2. offender
  3. villain
  4. monster
  5. beast
  6. outlaw
Noun
  • The father pulls over, and the car is immediately swarmed over by bandits, who brutally kill him — plus his wife and two kids — with no mercy.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In the decade of violent conflicts that followed, attacks on border towns and seizures of American property by revolutionaries and bandits prompted the United States to send two military expeditions into Mexico.
    — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Research on offenders with mental disorders suggests that recidivism depends more on criminal history than on diagnosis.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • At the root of the crisis is inadequate laws to punish offenders and a poor judicial system, activists say.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • Rival fans were quick to jump all over this fact, given that both the Panthers and the Tkachuk brothers were seen as polarizing villains throughout the NHL.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Is that the most difficult thing for you as the showrunner of a political show today — a president as a villain?
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Diagnose the monster before deciding which mind and which move are required to outwit it.
    — Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • That led him to snowy Deadwood, South Dakota, and a turn as local guide Gil Jackson in the horror heist movie Beast From Haunted Cave (1959), produced by Roger’s brother, Gene Corman, and featuring Chris Robinson as the monster.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • Transformation scenes can be unintentionally laughable, and no one has fully figured out how to make a wolf-human hybrid look less like a fall-season impulse buy at Home Depot and more like a terrifically terrifying beast.
    — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
  • One whale metaphor that lands quite nicely is how the sperm whale calls out for help when in distress, which inspires a Hail Mary plan in Jay’s fight for freedom from the belly of the beast.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of beast
Noun
  • Lana Del Rey and country star Morgan Wallen will team up as MW and Delta Dawne on Back Country Radio, which specializes in classic and outlaw country.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Still later, the valley was a hiding place for outlaw Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch.
    — Erwin A. Bauer, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of outlaw

Browse Nearby Words

despairs
desperado
desperadoes
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Cite this Entry

“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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