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
Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
The owner, clad in a foppish costume, is throwing a fancy party filled with people who don’t feel obliged to follow the evacuation orders of some paramilitary stooge.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
Guillermo Perez-Alzate, according to ICE, is a former paramilitary leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia criminal organization, which uses drugs to finance their operations, in Nariño, Colombia.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
This year’s standalone issue and online hub of articles include:
A look at a secret Afghan paramilitary unit, run by the CIA and trained by American special-ops soldiers, who assisted the U.S. in its fight against Al Qaeda and ISIS and today are struggling to build a life here in America.
—William Earl, Variety, 6 Aug. 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 25 Aug. 2025.
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