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
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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Set against mountainous landscapes and rural lakes, the story follows a wandering swordsman who is falsely accused of stealing a shipment of gold and must unravel a web of intrigue involving bandits, palace guards and corrupt officials while attempting to clear his name.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Alongside attacks by bandits, Nigeria is also plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Design There’s a reason James Bond villains chase 007’s Aston Martin in fleets of black Defenders.—
John Scott Lewinski,
Robb Report,
8 Apr. 2026
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Wagner had only occasional presence and went MIA for awhile, coming across as a shady character and a possible villain who was set up as a potential love interest for Morgan early on.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Anyone can see how many cases are filed, how much attorneys collect, and who the worst offenders are.—
Tom Manzo,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Punish the worst offenders by requiring them to apologize, publicly, for missing the mark.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In Nuremberg,Göring is closer to a sad clown than to a monster.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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For the non-Nintendo among us, Bowser is Mario’s enemy, a fire-breathing monster and leader of the Koops.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tomoyuki Sugano stared down the beast that is Coors Field, never blinked, and came out a winner against the Phillies on Sunday.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
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Expect to encounter other magical creatures and fantastic beasts along the way.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The final part tells the story of an outlaw who doesn’t set out to become a legend but ends up one anyway.—
Mars Salazar,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
-
People being outlaw or bucking the system, whatever the sentiment is.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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