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
Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 May 2026
Farmers already stressed by the war at home between Sudan's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are now watching costs rise for fertilizer, gasoline to power farm equipment and diesel for irrigation pumps.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
Russia’s defense ministry said its paramilitary forces helped thwart a coup.
—Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Steel and petrochemical production is crippled Israel claimed to have struck the industrial base of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
—Amir-Hussein Radjy, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramilitary. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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