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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Recent Examples of desperado
Actually, the two would-be desperadoes might have fared better going up against the late, great action star.
—
Joe Leydon, Variety, 3 Aug. 2023
The series revival, based Elmore Leonard’s novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, has Givens on a collision course with Clement Mansell — aka The Oklahoma Wildman — a desperado played by Boyd Holbrook, who’s already eluded a Motor City police task force on his heels.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 May 2023
The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent, sociopathic desperado who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again with the help of his formidable lawyer Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis).
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 May 2023
The lore of Arizona includes everything from Native stories to supernatural occurrences to tales of desperados.
—Thomas France, The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for desperado
Joe Leydon, Variety, 3 Aug. 2023
The series revival, based Elmore Leonard’s novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit, has Givens on a collision course with Clement Mansell — aka The Oklahoma Wildman — a desperado played by Boyd Holbrook, who’s already eluded a Motor City police task force on his heels.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 May 2023
The Oklahoma Wildman, a violent, sociopathic desperado who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again with the help of his formidable lawyer Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis).
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 May 2023
The lore of Arizona includes everything from Native stories to supernatural occurrences to tales of desperados.
—Thomas France, The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for desperado
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperado
Noun
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The caps proved popular with dockworkers, shipwrights and bandits, and, over time, the baker boy hat became synonymous with the newsboy cap (which was actually worn by boys working at newsstands).—
Rosa Rahimi,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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Security cameras at the church captured images of the bandit, who appears to be an older white woman.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Children meet superheroes and villains, engage with games and movies, and are greeted by staff in costume.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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The soul patch, villain, and walrus facial hair all work with masks while mutton chops and chin curtain don’t.—
Lisa Wood Shapiro,
Wired News,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Natalie and a real-estate agent named Dawn (Danielle Brooks), in search of the missing Henry, make their way to the Overworld, too, and the four team up with Steve in a painfully generic adventure to fight off monsters, find another Crystal, save the Overworld (and Dennis), and get back home.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2025
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The space monsters are also entirely terrifying, gestating inside young suns to hideously emerge as massive space insects.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But this is the nature of the beast, and the reality of a team who just experienced the most disappointing year in franchise history.—
Shane Young,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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By trampling shrubs, the beasts would encourage the growth of grasses that are good at absorbing greenhouse gases.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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