desperado
Americannoun
noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing desperado
Cinco de Mayo: Words to Celebrate Mexico
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here, some of Lee’s favorite color combinations can be found — orange and burgundy Volcano Fireworks, purple and lime green Mystic Port and yellow and purple El Desperado.
From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024
The country star said he took “a couple of IVs” to recuperate and apologized for the clunky start to his Highway Desperado tour, which runs through the end of October.
From Washington Times • Jul. 17, 2023
"Desperado" helped launch the Mexican-American star's career, and she's now been in the biz for three decades.
From Fox News • Feb. 16, 2021
The Eagles were one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, with multiple hit singles, including Desperado and Take It Easy.
From BBC • May 3, 2017
Desperado and robber as he has been, I frankly admit he has fully earned the free pardon which you were shrewd enough to get for him.”
From The Intriguers by Le Queux, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
