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 Today, Moscow is glamorous but sealed off and duller than the 1990s desperado days. — Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026 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 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
  • Attacks by bandits are common across northern Nigeria where armed groups carry out attacks against civilian populations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Attacks by bandits are common across northern Nigeria, where armed groups carry out attacks against civilian populations.
    — Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Schneider says royal ferns are known for doing this in the garden, while Jose Lopez, owner and founder of Williams Landscaping Chicago, says ostrich ferns and lady ferns are other common offenders.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Since taking office, the Governor has funded law enforcement at record levels and strengthened bail and discovery laws to hold all violent offenders accountable.
    — Kelsie Cairns , Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • Still, this villain’s origin story works better as a showcase for effects than anything tragic.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Directed by Grammy Award-winning filmmaker James Mackel, the visual is three-and-a-half minutes of spy stuff, our hero, dressed to impress, making short work of the many villains who lurk in her hotel.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • At last untethered from merely adapting a standard comfy passenger vehicle, the AMG engineers have created a monster.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Set on a mysterious island ravaged by floods and warring armies, a masked boy and girl must traverse atmospheric environments, rescue friends, and confront nightmarish monsters.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • His weary voice, describing with sympathy what this solitary, hungry rover is going through, details a broken relationship between human and beast, but more keenly and traumatically, between humans and humans.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Willem Dafoe plays the landowner-hunter hired by the king to lead the charge against the beast.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of beast
Noun
  • The bans at the center of the consolidated case outlaw the purchase of AR-15 and similar semiautomatic rifles, with the justices set to rule on whether those bans violate the Second or 14th amendments.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2026
  • On the other was the outlaw gang known as the Cowboys, led by Ike and Billy Clanton.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 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 8 Nov. 2026.

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