DESPERADOS Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

desperadoes

noun

variants or desperados

plural of desperado

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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 desperadoes Forty-six years after his death, Steve McQueen is still considered the King of Cool, a patron saint for adventurous desperados everywhere. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026 Seghers transforms Cooper into another of her restless desperadoes—a Vietnam vet in quest of an unspoiled world. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperadoes

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 bandits

Noun

The worst offenders on the public records law are the State Police.

— Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2026
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

Definition of offenders

Noun

Much psychological research has focussed on the degradation of villains, but a symmetrical force works to elevate victims.

— Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
Catwoman For a sexy twist on your classic cat makeup, channel one of the comic book world's most beloved villains.

— Michella Oré, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of villains

Noun

The dinosaur attacks have at least one upside, though, as running from the prehistoric beasts forces Denise and Greg to overcome their marital tension.

— Mya Copeland, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
But markets are forward-looking beasts, and Boeing letting investors down on the cash-flow ramp in the coming years is, understandably, causing many investors to dump the stock Tuesday.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of beasts

Noun

In one of the many scary dream sequences David Naughton has while becoming a werewolf, his Jewish family back home is slaughtered by Nazi monsters.

— Vulture Editors, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Other popular depictions of ghouls conflated them with monsters such as zombies and demons.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of monsters

Browse Nearby Words

desperado

desperadoes

desperate

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Desperadoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperadoes. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of desperadoes

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

wabi-sabi

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes