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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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
  1. bandits
  2. offenders
  3. villains
  4. beasts
  5. monsters
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
  • Sehnaoui's meeting with the Israeli leader occurred as some in Lebanon have called for abolishing a 1955 law that bans dealing with Israel or having contacts with Israelis and punishes offenders with up to 10 years in jail.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • The current penalty for disclosure violations is $200 for first-time offenders.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 22 July 2026
Definition of offenders
Noun
  • Still, bonus points for casting Chukwudi Iwuji as the menacing High Evolutionary, one of the oddest and most unsettling Marvel villains in recent memory.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
  • This trend suggests a need for new, effective villains to balance the roster.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • 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
  • In September, the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival brings in more than 20,000 spectators who line a hillside to watch riders corral the majestic beasts.
    — Jess Hoffert, Midwest Living, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of beasts
Noun
  • But Kova is shocked to discover her sweetheart taking up with someone new, who may be linked to the monsters dragging Stormwatch’s inhabitants into the ocean.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026
  • For additional context, the war against the Locust kicks off only a few weeks after the 79-year conflict between human factions known as the Pendulum Wars, which explains why the COG wasn't in the best of conditions when the monsters attacked.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of monsters

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Cite this Entry

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

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