as in military
of or relating to a group that is not an official army but that operates and is organized like an army
Government forces have been attacked by heavily armed paramilitary groups in several villages. a paramilitary police force
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in guerilla
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paramilitary
Davis Winkie, USA Today, 27 May 2025
Sudan’s government has accused the Emirates of fueling genocide with its backing of the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group engaged in a civil war that has killed 150,000 and displaced 14 million people.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 17 May 2025
The once-vibrant city has been systematically destroyed and hollowed out by the brutal fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
The Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group is proscribed as a terrorist organisation and banned under UK law.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Adjective
Kent's husband, Joe, is a former Army Green Beret and CIA paramilitary officer who is currently nominated to head the National Counterterrorism Center.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 27 May 2025
Sudan’s government has accused the Emirates of fueling genocide with its backing of the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group engaged in a civil war that has killed 150,000 and displaced 14 million people.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 17 May 2025
The once-vibrant city has been systematically destroyed and hollowed out by the brutal fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
The Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group is proscribed as a terrorist organisation and banned under UK law.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
Adjective
-
Bashaw was found by military investigators to have violated several COVID-19 prevention protocols including refusing to wear a mask, failing to send in proof of a negative test before showing up to work, and refusing to telework.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
-
And the clientele, many of whom are tenured University Professors, military veterans, ex-Navy seals, or otherwise adventurous retirees with means, mirrors that fact.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The 5,000-ton destroyer is the country’s newest warship and was meant to be a triumph of North Korea’s ambitious naval modernization effort.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
-
The Chinese military has frequently used waterways around Japan—including the Osumi Strait and the Miyako Strait—for naval deployments beyond the First Island Chain.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Long gone are their red cloaks as their city is now out from under Gilead’s rule after success from the guerrilla resistance Mayday movement to take down the (fictional) fascist regime.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2025
-
Kim called the first vessel, named Choe Hyon—a famed Korean guerrilla fighter during the Japanese colonial period—a significant asset for advancing his goal of expanding the military's operational range and nuclear strike capabilities.—
Shane Croucher
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
In response to the vote, Iraqi troops retook vast swathes of territory seized by Kurdish forces during their joint fight against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
-
In December, after years of stalemate in the war, Assad’s long-standing authoritarian regime collapsed, in the face of an unexpected offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist militant group once affiliated with al-Qaida.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Federal prosecutors allege Tian sold sensitive military information to former soldier Ruoyu Duan, who would allegedly receive money from individuals residing in China.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2025
-
Under current policy, decisions to separate soldiers outside standard regulatory grounds rest solely with the secretary of the Army — a power typically reserved for exceptional circumstances.—
Eleanor Watson,
CBS News,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
The existence of the irregulars raises an important question: How small can a galaxy get?—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
-
The moons, observed from 2019 to 2021 at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, were placed into subgroups within two categories of Saturnian irregulars; the Inuit group contains the Kiviuq and Siarnaq subgroups, and the Norse group contains the Phoebe, Mundilfari, and Kari subgroups.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Pieced together, the bucket depicts a hunting scene featuring a warrior surrounded by animals.—
Lillian Ali,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
-
Voices Hiltzik: Right-wing culture warriors say wokeness is dead.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share