desperado

US /ˌdɛspəˈrɑdoʊ/ UK /ˌdɛspəˈrɑːdəʊ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a bold, reckless criminal or outlaw, especially of the old West

The desperado was wanted in three territories for armed robbery.

Thesaurus

Etymology

Pseudo-Spanish formation (with a mock-Spanish -ado ending) based on English desperate, ultimately from Latin desperatus ('hopeless'), from desperare ('to despair').

desperatus Latin sperare Latin

View etymology graph ->

External links

# desperado

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌdɛspəˈrɑdoʊ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌdɛspəˈrɑːdəʊ/

## Meanings
1. a bold, reckless criminal or outlaw, especially of the old West

## Examples
- The desperado was wanted in three territories for armed robbery.

## Synonyms
- outlaw
- bandit
- criminal
- brigand
- ruffian
- cutthroat
- gangster

## Related Forms
- desperate
- despair
- desperation

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: desperatus
- Root: sperare

## Etymology
Pseudo-Spanish formation (with a mock-Spanish -ado ending) based on English desperate, ultimately from Latin desperatus ('hopeless'), from desperare ('to despair').

## AI Etymology
Desperado has the etymological history Pseudo-Spanish formation (with a mock-Spanish -ado ending) based on English desperate, ultimately from Latin desperatus ('hopeless'), from desperare ('to despair'). The ancestry passes through Latin desperatus and Latin sperare. In present use as a noun, it means "a bold, reckless criminal or outlaw, especially of the old West", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include desperate, despair, and desperation. The surrounding word family keeps the same base visible in desperate, despair, and desperation, showing how the headword belongs to a larger cluster rather than standing alone.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

markdown

desperado

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback