desperado

American  

[des-puh-rah-doh, -rey-] / ˌdɛs pəˈrɑ doʊ, -ˈreɪ- /

noun

plural

desperadoes, desperados

1. a bold, reckless criminal or outlaw, especially in the early days of the American West.

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desperado British  

/ ˌdɛspəˈrɑːdəʊ /

noun

1. a reckless or desperate person, esp one ready to commit any violent illegal act

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Etymology

Origin of desperado

1600–10; probably pseudo-Spanish alteration of desperate (as noun, now obsolete), in same sense

Explanation

A desperado is an outlaw that you'd see in an old Western or in the Wild West. Think spurs, horses, and hip holsters— and a desperado with a cowboy hat on his head and a bandana tied around his face. You probably know the common word desperate. A hundred years ago, the word wasn’t just an adjective — it was also a noun. A desperate was someone in despair, someone in a desperate situation. And the American frontier was full of such people, people who had gone West to find gold but missed out on a big payoff. Desperado has the same meaning as the noun desperate, but with a Spanish influence.

Example Sentences

Still, with his chest-hugging T-shirt and rugged handsomeness, Mr. Bernthal recalls John Travolta in his early prime rather than the sweaty, disheveled but endearing desperado memorably created by Mr. Pacino.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

But it seems clear that there was no reason to approach him so aggressively, as though he were some armed desperado fleeing a murder scene.

From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2023

He’s an oddly upper-class desperado, like Townes Van Zandt.

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2022

East Chicago police in the raiding squad said “two Department of Justice men” executed the desperado, but would not name them.

From Washington Times • Aug. 1, 2019

“Just fine,” she said, and wondered who else in Maycomb still remembered Scout Finch, juvenile desperado, hell- raiser extraordinary.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Related Words

• hoodlum
• ruffian