desperado
noun
des·per·a·do ˌde-spə-ˈrä-(ˌ)dō 
-ˈrā-
plural desperadoes or desperados
: a bold or violent criminal
especially : a bandit of the western U.S. in the 19th century
Example Sentences
the notorious desperados of the Wild West
Recent Examples on the Web The premise, The Sandman) will portray Mansell, aka 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. 
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 May 2022 The film saddles up alongside Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), a desperado looking for vengeance after a traumatic childhood incident. Anika Reed, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2021 And the male rider looked the part of a desperado with his white hat & bandana, brown leather chaps, and white duster adorned with blue Cowboys stars. Kristi Scales, Dallas News, 9 Dec. 2020 Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo No one faced more pressure to thrive, aside from those desperados on the roster bubble. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2019 There's going to be 15 desperados over those two nights. NBC News, 28 July 2019 Buy a California fishing license at Convict Lake, named for a gang of desperadoes who broke out of a Nevada jail in 1871 and met their end in a shootout with lawmen here. Katherine Rodeghier, Dallas News, 16 July 2019 That includes the dead G-Man and the desperado who gunned him down, the outlaw eventually swinging from a noose in downtown Indianapolis while a bloodthirsty crowd cheered on Alabama Street. Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, 3 July 2019 The desperadoes are so evil that Dutch (Borgnine) makes a joke of it when someone suggests pausing to give a decent burial to a fallen comrade. Kyle Smith, National Review, 20 June 2019 See More
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 May 2022 The film saddles up alongside Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), a desperado looking for vengeance after a traumatic childhood incident. Anika Reed, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2021 And the male rider looked the part of a desperado with his white hat & bandana, brown leather chaps, and white duster adorned with blue Cowboys stars. Kristi Scales, Dallas News, 9 Dec. 2020 Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo No one faced more pressure to thrive, aside from those desperados on the roster bubble. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2019 There's going to be 15 desperados over those two nights. NBC News, 28 July 2019 Buy a California fishing license at Convict Lake, named for a gang of desperadoes who broke out of a Nevada jail in 1871 and met their end in a shootout with lawmen here. Katherine Rodeghier, Dallas News, 16 July 2019 That includes the dead G-Man and the desperado who gunned him down, the outlaw eventually swinging from a noose in downtown Indianapolis while a bloodthirsty crowd cheered on Alabama Street. Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, 3 July 2019 The desperadoes are so evil that Dutch (Borgnine) makes a joke of it when someone suggests pausing to give a decent burial to a fallen comrade. Kyle Smith, National Review, 20 June 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
probably a pseudo-Spanish alteration of desperate "person in despair, person compelled by circumstances to commit violent acts," noun derivative of desperate
First Known Use
1647, in the meaning defined above
desperadoes
noun
variants or desperados
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. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- bandits
- villains
- offenders
- outlaws
- beasts
- monsters
- savages
- scoundrels
- bravoes
- scalawags
- miscreants
- rascals
- wretches
- varlets
- snakes
- reprobates
- rogues
- rapscallions
- knaves
- devils
- nazis
- brutes
- scamps
- crooks
- bravos
- felons
- baddies
- lawbreakers
- scallywags
- heavies
- perpetrators
- no-goods
- evildoers
- ruffians
- malefactors
- sinners
- hounds
- trespassers
- cutthroats
- meanies
- culprits
- hoodlums
- gangsters
- transgressors
- assassins
- thugs
- scapegraces
- fiends
- perps
- convicts
- wrongdoers
- jailbirds
- vipers
- toughs
- villainesses
- rowdies
- cads
- racketeers
- hooligans
- caitiffs
- gunmen
- cons
- heels
- serpents
- lowlifes
- goons
- losers
- roughs
- lowlives
- stinkers
- trash
- ne'er-do-wells
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- saints
- heroes
- angels
- innocents