# desperado

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/ · frequency rank #62,093

## Definitions
1. A bold outlaw, especially one from southern portions of the Wild West.
2. A person in desperate circumstances or who is at the point of desperation, such as a down-and-outer, an addict, etc.
3. A person who is desperately in love or is desperate for a romantic or sexual relationship.
4. A piece that seems determined to give itself up, typically to bring about stalemate or perpetual check.

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/desperado