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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demilitarization
Douglas Schoen, Orange County Register, 20 Mar. 2025
The outcome that Putin wants would be a Ukraine that is permanently stripped of almost 25 percent of its territory, demilitarized, and barred from joining the EU and NATO.
—Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
Israel demands that Hamas not continue to control Gaza, that Gaza be demilitarized of heavy weapons, and that senior Hamas military and political leaders in Gaza leave the strip and go into exile, the officials added.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
Given this history, any Israeli government of the foreseeable future would demand that a Palestinian state be demilitarized, with severe restrictions of the weapons even a police force can carry.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demilitarization
Verb
Similarly, pausing attacks on energy infrastructure is clearly more advantageous to Russia, as is demilitarizing the Black Sea, given Russia’s dependence on the waterway and the Russian Navy’s extreme – and one-sided – vulnerability to Ukrainian attacks.
—Douglas Schoen, Orange County Register, 20 Mar. 2025
The outcome that Putin wants would be a Ukraine that is permanently stripped of almost 25 percent of its territory, demilitarized, and barred from joining the EU and NATO.
—Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
Israel demands that Hamas not continue to control Gaza, that Gaza be demilitarized of heavy weapons, and that senior Hamas military and political leaders in Gaza leave the strip and go into exile, the officials added.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
Given this history, any Israeli government of the foreseeable future would demand that a Palestinian state be demilitarized, with severe restrictions of the weapons even a police force can carry.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demilitarization
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demilitarization
Verb
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Now, as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has been openly discussing disarming Hezbollah, natural gas remains available to Lebanon on which to rebuild its shattered economy.—
Daniel Markind,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Unlikely, the Macquarie team says, because no one in Europe believes that Putin is likely to disarm or avoid future military engagements.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The order came two weeks after the Marines sent to Los Angeles left and a week after the Trump administration demobilized most of the National Guard.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Aug. 2025
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Colombia’s truth commission says paramilitary groups, which demobilized under deals with Uribe’s government, killed more than 205,000 people, nearly half of the 450,000 deaths recorded during the ongoing civil conflict.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demilitarization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demilitarization. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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