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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Want to try and take on a bandit camp but don’t want to risk dying?—
George Yang,
Rolling Stone,
3 Feb. 2025
-
Matt Dillon as Bob Hughes, lead junkie bandit of Drugstore Cowboy would also slot right in now, as would the late River Phoenix as conflicted hustler Mike Waters in Idaho.—
Matt Thompson,
SPIN,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In the comics, Sinestro starts off as a member of the Green Lantern Corp, eventually becoming a villain and starting his own Sinestro Corp.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
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The real villains, says Mozaffarian, are excessive amounts of refined grains, starches, and sugars, as well as salt and other preservatives, chemical additives, and contaminants from packaging.—
Sarah Boden,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Potgieter is usually a monster off the tee, leading the tour in driving distance coming into the week.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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The soldiers, both in the streets and at guard posts, fired their weapons, trying to prevent the moon from being eaten by a mythical monster frog called Reahou.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The music inspires its creatures, and vice versa — like the Altamaha-ha, a legendary water beast that hails from stories told around the Altamaha River in Georgia.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
6 Mar. 2025
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At his peak, Bosa was a beast to keep out of opponents’ backfields.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Orange County Register,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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