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
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Recent Examples of desperado
The series revival, based Elmore Leonard’s novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, has Givens on a collision course with Clement Mansell — aka The Oklahoma Wildman — a desperado played by Boyd Holbrook, who’s already eluded a Motor City police task force on his heels.
—
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 May 2023
The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent, sociopathic desperado who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again with the help of his formidable lawyer Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis).
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 May 2023
The lore of Arizona includes everything from Native stories to supernatural occurrences to tales of desperados.
—Thomas France, The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2023
Senior desperado is the look.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2021
See all Example Sentences for desperado 
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 May 2023
The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent, sociopathic desperado who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again with the help of his formidable lawyer Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis).
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 May 2023
The lore of Arizona includes everything from Native stories to supernatural occurrences to tales of desperados.
—Thomas France, The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2023
Senior desperado is the look.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2021
See all Example Sentences for desperado
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperado
Noun
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At least 49 businesses have been robbed so far in the spree, according to the United Bodegas of America (UBA) trade group, which is offering a $5,000 bounty on the bandits.—
Michael Ruiz,
Fox News,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Several warring factions exist within the Zone, as well as lone bandits and stalkers.—
Issy van der Velde,
Rolling Stone,
20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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His affinity for wrestling villains, or heels, adds another layer to his potential return.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
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His villains include both Presidents Bush; his heroes stretch back to William McKinley but include Richard Nixon, who raised tariffs in response to low-cost manufacturing from Asia, and, Lighthizer insists, Ronald Reagan.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The creature towers over one of Peter's fellow students which spurs him into action, distracting the monster long enough for Dr. Strange to wrangle it and haul it back through one of his signature portals.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
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For now, questions that seem to have no answers persist: How Hitler’s cult of personality could create such monsters and how so much of a nation could have committed such crimes.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Routed through a six-speed manual gearbox, the power was enough to launch this beast of a car from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds along the way to a top speed of 186 mph.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
30 Jan. 2025
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According to the folklore, a mythical beast would come and devour villagers and livestock each Chinese New Year, but the beast was afraid of loud noises and the color red.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near desperado
Cite this Entry
“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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