Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

desperado

/dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.36 in modern English

Syllables: des-per-a-do
IPA: /dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A bold outlaw, especially one from southern portions of the Wild West.

noun

A person in desperate circumstances or who is at the point of desperation, such as a down-and-outer, an addict, etc.

Colloquial

noun

A person who is desperately in love or is desperate for a romantic or sexual relationship.

Colloquial

noun

A piece that seems determined to give itself up, typically to bring about stalemate or perpetual check.

Example Sentences

"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."
"Surely this was the face of a desperado."
"The shortstops and desperados were not permitted to play in this marker crap game."

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.

Origin

Source language: Spanish

Word Breakdown

Root: desperado, disperare

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/

Usage

Colloquial

Inflected Forms

desperadoes (plural) desperados (plural)

Derived Forms

desperadoism

Synonyms

desperate criminal

Rhymes With

colorado avocado dorado delgado prado bravado coronado maldonado alvarado silverado eldorado mercado

Questions

How do you pronounce desperado?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/.
What does desperado mean?: A bold outlaw, especially one from southern portions of the Wild West.
Where does desperado come from?: It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce desperado

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “desperado”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɛspəˈɹɑːdəʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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