paramilitary 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of paramilitarynext
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

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paramilitary

2 of 2

noun

as in guerrilla

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Dissimilar Words

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
Adjective
Its bitter rival in the conflict, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), continues to hold nine reporters in detention, according to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, an independent trade union for the news media. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 Beyond giving Russia a foothold and a warm-water port, these bases were also vital for sustaining and resupplying its military and paramilitary operations in Africa. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Noun
A number of police stations, locations related to the security forces — including the Basij paramilitary — and intelligence facilities across Tehran have been targeted by airstrikes, CBS News producer in Tehran, Seyed Bathei, reports. — CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026 Golshan Fathi, a woman living in Tehran, said the Basij paramilitary, which played a key role in the bloody crushing of mass protests last month, was showing a heavy presence in the streets of the capital. — Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
  1. military
  2. guerrilla
  3. naval
  4. soldier
  5. militant
  6. irregular
  7. warrior
  8. trooper
Adjective
  • Simply put, acknowledging the reality—even if the administration won’t state it in these terms—of avoiding a further, major military campaign as the conflict drags on.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The sharpest criticism of the deal came from Venezuelan opposition figures, who argue that a caretaker administration installed after a foreign military operation has no standing to sign away a century of oil rights.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of military
Noun
  • But Bernard’s move is a gambit, meant to create a distraction while the Mechanical guerrillas set off dynamite charges in the mines, for reasons as yet unrevealed.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There may be as many as 200,000 in this army, waiting for orders to launch a guerrilla war.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of guerrilla
Adjective
  • All six ships appear to have been located off Qingdao naval base, the headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Northern Theatre Command navy.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The Stradale managed to recover three of the five crew members before the Maranello sank, the French naval prefecture for the Atlantic said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of naval
Noun
  • This is my personal version of those videos of soldiers coming home from war, and the other women react as such.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • An older man was carefully helped off one helicopter, while a soldier carried an older woman on his back to a medical tent.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of soldier
Adjective
  • Abductions are common in Nigeria, where militant groups target schoolchildren and other civilians to put pressure on the government and extract ransoms.
    — Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The strikes came after Israel blamed the militant Hezbollah group for firing two explosive drones.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of militant
Noun
  • Setting off in pursuit was José María Zuloaga, a taciturn lieutenant colonel in the Mexican army supported by a band of irregulars.
    — Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Some galaxies, known as irregulars, don't fit neatly into either mold.
    — Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Definition of irregular
Noun
  • The army Mladic created to fight in Bosnia was a model of ruthlessness, daring and brutality in the Serb warrior tradition, once prized in the life-or-death partisan struggle against the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia in World War Two.
    — Ivana Sekularac, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • As a warrior for kindness and a defender of hope, may Parton’s legacy never leave us.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of warrior
Noun
  • The man punched in the face in the video is Black; the state trooper is white.
    — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In mid-August, state troopers returned to sweep an encampment once again under Operation SAFE.
    — Jake Ramsey, Oklahoma Watch, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of trooper

Browse Nearby Words

paramilitaries
paramilitary
paramount
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Cite this Entry

“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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