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.

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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

Armed groups, known as bandits in Nigeria, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central parts of the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
The area was wild and uninhabited, but the bandits moved through it with practiced ease.

— Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of bandits

Noun

Law enforcement is no longer required to give first-time offenders a warning and repeat violations can cost people $2,000 to $5,000 each.

— Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2026
To Measure Technology’s Impact Using technology to more accurately predict technology’s impact could go a long way toward changing the discussion and holding offenders accountable.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of offenders

Noun

People who once dined together, smiled together, campaigned together and worked together to strengthen our communities are suddenly being portrayed as villains.

— Beau Simon, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2026
Patrick and Hugo McPherson play the Stabbington brothers, two twin villains.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of villains

Noun

But over the course of numerous sequels and reboots, the franchise largely shifted away from resonant character drama in favor of high-octane action sequences and increasingly monstrous beasts.

— Megan McCluskey, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
But on Monday one of the bigger beasts of Wall Street, Goldman Sachs Chief Economist Jan Hatzius, came out guns blazing at Warsh.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of beasts

Noun

As creatures from Indonesian mythology emerge to threaten his students’ community, Chris and his pupils find their fight extends beyond monsters to their own inner struggles.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026
The viruses the researchers created are not Frankenstein’s monsters.

— Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of monsters

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“Desperadoes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperadoes. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of desperadoes

noun

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