desperate criminal vs criminal

desperate criminal and criminal both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
desperate criminal	Yes	No	No	No
criminal	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, criminal is a hypernym of desperate criminal; that is, criminal is a word with a broader meaning than desperate criminal:

desperate criminal: a bold outlaw (especially on the American frontier)
criminal: someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

Other hypernyms of desperate criminal include crook, felon, malefactor, outlaw.

desperate criminal (noun)	criminal (noun)
a bold outlaw (especially on the American frontier)	someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

desperate criminal (adjective)	criminal (adjective)
	guilty of crime or serious offense
	involving or being or having the nature of a crime
	bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure