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
Keith Langston, People.com, 6 June 2025
The availability of paramilitary equipment, including night-vision goggles, drones, and firearms—which are legal to carry in Arizona without any training or license—means that almost anyone can equip themselves like soldiers.
—Jessica Pishko, New Yorker, 6 June 2025
This action comedy about a group of paramilitary teen spies chasing a super-criminal is an undersung cult classic.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025
She was raped first by paramilitary fighters and then by soldiers.
—Arkansas Online, 30 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramilitary. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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