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
Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2025
Some had survived a brutal occupation by the paramilitary group at war with the army.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 30 July 2025
Uribe — who remains a towering figure in Latin America — was convicted of bribing a witness who alleged the former president masterminded a paramilitary group three decades ago, and faces up to 12 years in prison.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 30 July 2025
The charges are rooted in a 2012 complaint Uribe filed against opposition Senator Iván Cepeda, accusing him of fabricating testimony by recruiting prison inmates to falsely link Uribe to right-wing paramilitary groups.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramilitary. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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