desperadoes
Bold lawless fugitives
Desperadoes is a plural of desperado—a bold, reckless outlaw, especially in the American Old West or similar frontier settings.
The word evokes bandits, gunslingers, and lawless men: The desperadoes rode into town at sundown.
It carries a romantic, somewhat theatrical quality.
The alternate plural desperados is equally common.
Armed robbers, often roving
- fugitivesThose fleeing from law
- criminalsLawbreakers by act
- highwaymenArmed roadside robbers
- brigandsRoving armed robbers
gunmen · rustlers · raiders · gangsters · bootleggers · smugglers · plunderers · felons
Reward for capture
- manhuntSearch for a suspect
- posterDisplayed printed notice
- rewardPayment for service
- captureTake into custody
sheriff · marshal · pursuit · apprehend · arrest · posse · lawman · tracker
Not bound by rules
- untamedNot domesticated
- badlandsArid, heavily eroded terrain
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
- saloonDrinking establishment, often frontier
shootout · standoff · dusty · desolate · rough-and-tumble · no-man's-land · boomtown · outback
Faker claiming false expertise
- tricksterCunning deceiver in myth
- conmanFraud who deceives for profit
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- scoundrelDishonest, unscrupulous person
rascal · knave · scalawag · blackguard · deceiver · fraudster · schemer · mountebank
bandits
Armed robbers, often roving
- fugitivesThose fleeing from law
- criminalsLawbreakers by act
- highwaymenArmed roadside robbers
brigands · gunmen · rustlers · raiders · gangsters · bootleggers · smugglers · plunderers · felons · mobsters
bounty
Reward for capture
capture · sheriff · marshal · pursuit · apprehend · arrest · posse · lawman · tracker · hunting
lawless
Not bound by rules
saloon · shootout · standoff · dusty · desolate · rough-and-tumble · no-man's-land · boomtown · outback
charlatan
Faker claiming false expertise
scoundrel · rascal · knave · scalawag · blackguard · deceiver · fraudster · schemer · mountebank · flimflammer
daredevil
Reckless risk-taker
- foolhardyRecklessly bold
- rashHeedless or skin irritation
- audaciousRecklessly or disrespectfully fearless
impulsive · headstrong · brash · heedless · impetuous · fearless · bold · brazen · gutsy · intrepid
rebel
Authority defier
- defectorOne who abandons allegiance
- turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
- outcastShunned, rejected person
insurgent · mutineer · dissident · maverick · revolutionary · deserter · pariah · exile · radical · subversive
- roguesrogue, rogues, scoundrel, scoundrels, rascal
desperadoeslawmen
Official crime fighters
sheriffs · marshals · deputies · peace officers · constables
desperadoespillars of the community
Respected, influential local figures
gentlemen · dignitaries · nobility · landed gentry · townspeople