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.

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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 desperado 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 The other actors in the terrific eight-member cast — which includes Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves and Ken Marks — play multiple roles as townsfolk, family members, lawmen, desperados, hucksters and suckers. — Frank Rizzo, Variety, 27 Apr. 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
  • The Brigands of Rattlecreek follows a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of splitting traffic 50/50 until an end date, AI shifts traffic toward the better performing version while the test is still live, an approach often called a multi-armed bandit.
    — Karan Sharma, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Hansen’s sentence was first reduced to 25 years to life, and the state later created a pathway to earlier parole for many youthful offenders serving life sentences.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • From names like ChatGPT and Gemini to Meta AI, Perplexity, and even Grok, the report identifies which chatbots are the most privacy-friendly and transparent in their practices and which are the worst offenders.
    — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • Furious drops the ball a bit in the interactions with Emma and Jay Easton, turning them into one-dimensional caricatures instead of complex villains, but honestly, this show isn’t really about them.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Saoirse Ronan is ready to step into the dark side and is doubling down on wanting to play a villain in the James Bond universe.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Trying to clear his name, Eddie Brock is hunted by a monster sent by the creator of the symbiotes, only to uncover a secret operation in Area 51 to harvest the creatures and exploit them.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The league is hurtling toward an ugly lockout, with owners preparing to cry poverty and demand a hard salary cap to stop the spending monster in Southern California.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • The man wouldn’t sell for fear that the tiger might acquire a taste for his beasts and kill them all.
    — Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Freaks List staple Nyck Harbor should be a beast at receiver.
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of beast
Noun
  • The show starred Hunnam as Jax Teller, a man who takes over a California Central Valley outlaw motorcycle club that was previously run by his father.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But Medora is more prosperous; in lieu of dollar stores, there is relentless outlaw kitsch.
    — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 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 30 Aug. 2026.

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