desperado

English

Etymology

From obsolete Spanish desperado, past participle of desperar, archaic form of desesperar (“to despair”), from Latin disperare (“to despair, to lose hope”), from prefix dis- + sperare (“to hope”). Doublet of desperate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

desperado (plural desperadoes or desperados)

1. A bold outlaw, especially one from southern portions of the Wild West.
   • 1850, Thomas Carlyle, “The present time”, in Latter-Day Pamphlets:

     The kind of persons who excite or give signal to such revolutions — students, young men of letters […], or fierce and justly bankrupt desperadoes, acting everywhere on the discontent of the millions and blowing it into flame, — might give rise to reflections as to the character of our epoch.

   • 1918, Willa Cather, My Antonia, paperback edition, Mirado Modern Classics, page 6:

     Surely this was the face of a desperado.

   • 2021 (originally published 2017, adapted 2021), David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon: Adapted for Younger Readers, page 126:

     Tom became increasingly skilled at dealing with what he called “rascality”: cow rustlers, horse thieves, scalawags, rumrunners, stagecoach robbers, desperadoes, and other lawbreakers.

2. (colloquial) A person in desperate circumstances or who is at the point of desperation, such as a down-and-outer, an addict, etc.
   • 1981, Sam Grafstein, Dice Doctor:

     The shortstops and desperados were not permitted to play in this marker crap game.

3. (colloquial) A person who is desperately in love or is desperate for a romantic or sexual relationship.
4. (chess) A piece that seems determined to give itself up, typically to bring about stalemate or perpetual check.

Derived terms

• desperadoism

Translations

bold outlaw

• Bulgarian: разбойник (bg) (razbojnik)
• Danish: desperado c
• Finnish: desperado (fi)
• French: desperado (fr) m
• Macedonian: ра́збојник m (rázbojnik)
• Spanish: desperado (es) m
• Swedish: desperado (sv) c

Anagrams

• dead-ropes

Cebuano

Etymology

Cebuanized form of English desperate, from Latin dēspērātus, past participle of dēspērō (“to be without hope”). Spanish desperado is a false friend.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: des‧pe‧ra‧do
• IPA^(key): /despeˈɾado/ [d̪es̪.peˈɾ̪aː.d̪o]

Adjective

desperado (feminine desperada)

1. in dire need of something
2. being filled with, or in a state of despair; hopeless
3. without regard to danger or safety; reckless; furious

Verb

desperado (feminine desperada)

1. to be in dire need of something
2. to be reckless due to desperation

Noun

desperado (feminine desperada)

1. a desperate male person

Danish

Etymology

From Spanish desperado (“desperate person”), past participle of desperar, archaic form of desesperar (“to despair”).

Noun

desperado c (singular definite desperadoen, plural indefinite desperados or desperadoer)

1. desperado (outlaw)

Declension

Declension of desperado

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	desperado	desperadoen	desperados desperadoer	desperadoerne
genitive	desperados	desperadoens	desperados' desperadoers	desperadoernes

See also

• desperat

References

• “desperado” in Den Danske Ordbog

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish desperado

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdesperɑ(ː)do/, [ˈde̞s̠pe̞ˌrɑ̝(ː)do̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑdo
• Syllabification^(key): des‧pe‧ra‧do
• Hyphenation^(key): des‧pe‧ra‧do

Noun

desperado

1. (chiefly in literature) desperado (SW US or Mexican outlaw)

Declension

Inflection of desperado (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		desperado	desperadot
genitive		desperadon	desperadojen
partitive		desperadoa	desperadoja
illative		desperadoon	desperadoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		desperado	desperadot
accusative	nom.	desperado	desperadot
	gen.	desperadon
genitive		desperadon	desperadojen
partitive		desperadoa	desperadoja
inessive		desperadossa	desperadoissa
elative		desperadosta	desperadoista
illative		desperadoon	desperadoihin
adessive		desperadolla	desperadoilla
ablative		desperadolta	desperadoilta
allative		desperadolle	desperadoille
essive		desperadona	desperadoina
translative		desperadoksi	desperadoiksi
abessive		desperadotta	desperadoitta
instructive		—	desperadoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of desperado (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative desperadoni desperadoni accusative nom. desperadoni desperadoni gen. desperadoni genitive desperadoni desperadojeni partitive desperadoani desperadojani inessive desperadossani desperadoissani elative desperadostani desperadoistani illative desperadooni desperadoihini adessive desperadollani desperadoillani ablative desperadoltani desperadoiltani allative desperadolleni desperadoilleni essive desperadonani desperadoinani translative desperadokseni desperadoikseni abessive desperadottani desperadoittani instructive — — comitative — desperadoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative desperadosi desperadosi accusative nom. desperadosi desperadosi gen. desperadosi genitive desperadosi desperadojesi partitive desperadoasi desperadojasi inessive desperadossasi desperadoissasi elative desperadostasi desperadoistasi illative desperadoosi desperadoihisi adessive desperadollasi desperadoillasi ablative desperadoltasi desperadoiltasi allative desperadollesi desperadoillesi essive desperadonasi desperadoinasi translative desperadoksesi desperadoiksesi abessive desperadottasi desperadoittasi instructive — — comitative — desperadoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative desperadomme desperadomme accusative nom. desperadomme desperadomme gen. desperadomme genitive desperadomme desperadojemme partitive desperadoamme desperadojamme inessive desperadossamme desperadoissamme elative desperadostamme desperadoistamme illative desperadoomme desperadoihimme adessive desperadollamme desperadoillamme ablative desperadoltamme desperadoiltamme allative desperadollemme desperadoillemme essive desperadonamme desperadoinamme translative desperadoksemme desperadoiksemme abessive desperadottamme desperadoittamme instructive — — comitative — desperadoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative desperadonne desperadonne accusative nom. desperadonne desperadonne gen. desperadonne genitive desperadonne desperadojenne partitive desperadoanne desperadojanne inessive desperadossanne desperadoissanne elative desperadostanne desperadoistanne illative desperadoonne desperadoihinne adessive desperadollanne desperadoillanne ablative desperadoltanne desperadoiltanne allative desperadollenne desperadoillenne essive desperadonanne desperadoinanne translative desperadoksenne desperadoiksenne abessive desperadottanne desperadoittanne instructive — — comitative — desperadoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative desperadonsa desperadonsa accusative nom. desperadonsa desperadonsa gen. desperadonsa genitive desperadonsa desperadojensa partitive desperadoaan desperadoansa desperadojaan desperadojansa inessive desperadossaan desperadossansa desperadoissaan desperadoissansa elative desperadostaan desperadostansa desperadoistaan desperadoistansa illative desperadoonsa desperadoihinsa adessive desperadollaan desperadollansa desperadoillaan desperadoillansa ablative desperadoltaan desperadoltansa desperadoiltaan desperadoiltansa allative desperadolleen desperadollensa desperadoilleen desperadoillensa essive desperadonaan desperadonansa desperadoinaan desperadoinansa translative desperadokseen desperadoksensa desperadoikseen desperadoiksensa abessive desperadottaan desperadottansa desperadoittaan desperadoittansa instructive — — comitative — desperadoineen desperadoinensa

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English desperado.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɛs.pe.ʁa.do/

Noun

desperado m (plural desperados)

1. desperado

Further reading

• “desperado”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /despeˈɾado/ [d̪es.peˈɾa.ð̞o]
• Rhymes: -ado
• Syllabification: des‧pe‧ra‧do

Adjective

desperado (feminine desperada, masculine plural desperados, feminine plural desperadas)

1. obsolete form of desesperado

Participle

desperado (feminine desperada, masculine plural desperados, feminine plural desperadas)

1. past participle of desperar

Further reading

• “desperado”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Tagalog

Etymology

Probably a pseudo-Hispanism, from English desperate, and influenced by Spanish desesperado.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /despeˈɾado/ [d̪ɛs.pɛˈɾaː.d̪o]
• Rhymes: -ado
• Syllabification: des‧pe‧ra‧do

Adjective

desperado (feminine desperada, Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜐ᜔ᜉᜒᜇᜇᜓ)

1. (common) alternative form of des-esperado: desperate; hopeless