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 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

Instead, most are romantic stories about young lovers separated by fate, and the rest are swashbuckling adventures full of bandits and pirates.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
Fantastical adventures ensue as the pair encounter a mysterious woman, Alexandra, who has lost her son, along with coyotes, bandits, and some pretty big secrets.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026

Definition of bandits

Noun

For traffickers and offenders who rely on quick escapes along our state’s busy roadways, LPRs strip away their advantage.

— Charles "Chuck" Broadway, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2026
The work paid off with stacks of citations across the Sacramento area, officials said, and steep costs for offenders — including a fine of $100,000 or more for one Del Paso Heights home’s pyrotechnic display.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of offenders

Noun

The world drew heavily from the paintings of fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta, who depicted scenes of barbarians and beasts in conflict, of pulp fiction heroes, femme fatales, and fierce warrior women.

— Steve Appleford, SPIN, 29 June 2026
The findings, detailed today in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggest not only that all black holes emit such a wind but also that these beasts are not total loners that are isolated from their environments.

— Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 4 June 2026

Definition of beasts

Noun

With its vivid monsters and an emphatic, complex dive into the human heart, Homer has inspired countless adaptations, from stage, screen, television, comics, alongside a continuous stream of new translations.

— Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 14 July 2026
At their Czech–Indian wedding, Jacob and Mia’s tradition-hungry guests unexpectedly begin transforming into flesh-eating monsters.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 14 July 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 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of desperadoes

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bibelot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes