paramilitary
adjective
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This term paramilitary can take in a wide range of organizations, but is usually applied to forces formed by a government. Groups opposing a government, even when organized along military lines, are more often referred to as guerrillas or insurgents. In countries with weak central governments (such as, in recent times, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, or Congo), warlords may form their own paramilitary forces and take over all local police and military functions. Paramilitary often has a sinister sound today, since it's also applied to groups of off-duty military or police personnel who carry out illegal violence, often at night, with the quiet support of a government.
Examples of paramilitary in a Sentence
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 May 2025
After South Sudan declared independence, the regions bordering the breakaway country remained restive, and the Bashir regime began deploying a new paramilitary force there.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Three wars have been fought over the area, with the most recent violent outburst between India and Pakistan happening in 2019, when India launched airstrikes against Pakistan after blaming the country for a suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in Kashmir.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Drone attacks by the RSF have rapidly increased as the paramilitary group has lost ground in the war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), who have recaptured several cities in central and eastern Sudan over the last year.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramilitary. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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