desperado

noun

Definition of desperadonext
as in bandit
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 desperado Liu returned to skating in late 2024 after two and a half years, with the clearheaded intention to be a performance artist, not a medal-seeking desperado. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026 These are desperadoes in the White House. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025 And sometimes the best care is not bringing in a bunch of — as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put it — a throbbing scum of fame-hungry desperados. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2025 The latter implies that occasionally a few or many desperados enter the Treasury markets, selling everything in sight with an eye on bringing discipline or whatever to Washington. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for desperado
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperado
  1. bandit
  2. offender
  3. villain
  4. monster
  5. beast
  6. outlaw
Noun
  • Between Two Fires is a zippy historical monster story, where a bandit ex-knight and a young girl beset by visions have to contend with plague and inhuman monsters.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Snoopy and Woodstock line the outside of the bowl in costumes like cowboys, mummies, bandits, and witches.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Those illicit techniques include attaching a GPS tracker to a car or using cell-tower data to track a potential offender.
    — Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The repeat violent offender that attacked multiple women in Dilworth should have never been on the streets.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • Tell me more about William, the actual villain, and what his character represents.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Despite Nas emerging as one of the season’s primary antagonists, Kelly doesn’t necessarily view him as a straightforward villain.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • The main three projects — The Mummy, The Loudest Voice and Unabomber — each involve monsters in various forms.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The world has seen many hurricanes rapidly intensify in recent years, strengthening from relatively weak storms into destructive monsters in a matter of hours.
    — Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • This week, Netflix features the latest installment in a legendary anime series, a Spanish-language thriller stuffed with social commentary, and a Canadian horror about a mysterious beast stalking an isolated fishing village.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Specifically, the one from that parable where six blind men describe a beast based on just one of its characteristics.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of beast
Noun
  • Taking inspiration from their cousins—who had been members of the more famous Jesse and Frank James outlaw gang—the Dalton gang decided to rob two banks at once.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Simpson has carved out an incredibly loyal following in the country music industry by singing largely outlaw country tunes.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of outlaw

Browse Nearby Words

despairs
desperado
desperadoes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

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

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All