as in disarmament
the reduction or elimination of a country's armed forces or weapons
the demilitarization of some formerly warlike nations that occurred in the aftermath of World War II
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to disarm
to reduce the size and strength of the armed forces of
the two nations agreed to demilitarize themselves reciprocally in hopes of avoiding war
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of demilitarization
Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2026
Ike, always comprehensive in vision, also achieved the demilitarization of Antarctica.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
The Ukrainian leader said any withdrawal of troops would have to be reciprocal, with Moscow giving up as much Ukrainian territory as that ceded by Kyiv and those pockets of the Donbas becoming demilitarized as a result.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demilitarization
Noun
Israel and Hamas remain divided over the timeline and scope of Israel's withdrawal and the demilitarization of the enclave after nearly two decades of Hamas rule.
—Arkansas Online, 11 Feb. 2026
Ike, always comprehensive in vision, also achieved the demilitarization of Antarctica.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Zelensky has said that Ukrainian forces would be willing to leave the eastern part of the country if Russian troops also withdraw and the area becomes demilitarized, with an international coalition monitoring the region.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
The Ukrainian leader said any withdrawal of troops would have to be reciprocal, with Moscow giving up as much Ukrainian territory as that ceded by Kyiv and those pockets of the Donbas becoming demilitarized as a result.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demilitarization
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demilitarization
Noun
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Netanyahu said Israel continues to demand the disarmament of Hezbollah, and would not agree to Hezbollah's demand to withdraw from all Lebanese territory.—
Yarden Segev,
NBC news,
16 Apr. 2026
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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has signaled willingness to discuss normalization and the eventual disarmament of Hezbollah, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted there will be no ceasefire until Hezbollah is dismantled and pushed back from the border.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Netanyahu said negotiations are continuing, with disarming Hezbollah a key goal.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah before engaging in more talks, while vowing to commit to disarming the group.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Since then all Illinois National Guard troops have been demobilized and sent back to their original assignments.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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Rattling off the potential for irreparable harm, the attorney said that demobilizing the project and then restarting it would significantly delay the overall timeline of the critical infrastructure project, or even torpedo the whole thing.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demilitarization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demilitarization. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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