variants
or desperados
as in bandits
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 desperadoes
Most are not desperados on the run.
—
William Morris, Des Moines Register, 4 Mar. 2026
These are desperadoes in the White House.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
William Morris, Des Moines Register, 4 Mar. 2026
These are desperadoes in the White House.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperadoes
Noun
-
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
-
Speed cameras do not deter armed offenders, identify suspects or enable faster police response.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Several of the worst offenders were in their 30s.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There are no villains—or maybe life, or growing up, or getting older, is the villain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
But watching Ready or Not 2, which comes from returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, I was consumed with how quaint its characterization of its villains was.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The tale spun down that the manger star cloud was where the beasts were feeding.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Costumed beasts and creepy crawlies aren’t limited to Halloween.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Sophisticated research using drones and radar is the smart way to study these monsters – seeing them from the inside is definitely not.—
Perry Samson,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
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The start of the conflict revealed that one tool the Israelis used to target the Ayatollah and his top crew of thieving monsters was their extended hack of the traffic cameras outside his Tehran compound.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperadoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperadoes. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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