paramilitary 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of paramilitarynext
as in military
of or relating to a group that is not an official army but that operates and is organized like an army Government forces have been attacked by heavily armed paramilitary groups in several villages. a paramilitary police force

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paramilitary

2 of 2

noun

as in guerrilla

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paramilitary
Adjective
The paramilitary organization was seen as the most professional and well-regulated force actively fighting for a secular and democratic Syria. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026 Its bitter rival in the conflict, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), continues to hold nine reporters in detention, according to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, an independent trade union for the news media. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
A number of police stations, locations related to the security forces — including the Basij paramilitary — and intelligence facilities across Tehran have been targeted by airstrikes, CBS News producer in Tehran, Seyed Bathei, reports. — CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026 Golshan Fathi, a woman living in Tehran, said the Basij paramilitary, which played a key role in the bloody crushing of mass protests last month, was showing a heavy presence in the streets of the capital. — Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
  1. military
  2. guerrilla
  3. naval
  4. soldier
  5. militant
  6. irregular
  7. warrior
  8. trooper
Adjective
  • Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and reporter Lara Korte at Stars and Stripes – a military news outlet that is partially funded by the Pentagon – claimed their dismissals were retaliatory and violated the First Amendment.
    — Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The following seven systems rank among the most powerful military lasers ever tested, deployed, or placed under development.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of military
Noun
  • Also known by its Spanish acronym AGC, the group evolved from right-wing paramilitary squads that fought Marxist guerrillas in Colombia in the 1990s and 2000s.
    — Maria Verza, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Jayhawkers were considered thieves, marauders & guerrillas (hence why yours were in jail) know for atrocities such as the Sacking of Osceola.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of guerrilla
Adjective
  • Several generations of naval vessels for the Israeli Navy, including Dolphin-class submarines and Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, have already been built at the company’s shipyards, as per the release.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • In February, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden agreed to accelerate the acquisition and integration of new technologies for Baltic naval operations.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of naval
Noun
  • In 2025, an explosive device there killed eight soldiers in one of the deadliest such incidents in Mexico.
    — María Verza, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
  • In Mozart’s original, two Italian soldiers decide to test their lovers’ fidelity by pretending to head off to war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of soldier
Adjective
  • Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in 2003, accused of developing and directing the 9/11 attacks, as a leader of the Islamic militant group Al Qaeda.
    — Larry Neumeister, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The militant group is now likely to be even more maximalist in its demands and in its ambitions to assert control across the Red Sea.
    — April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of militant
Noun
  • Setting off in pursuit was José María Zuloaga, a taciturn lieutenant colonel in the Mexican army supported by a band of irregulars.
    — Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Some galaxies, known as irregulars, don't fit neatly into either mold.
    — Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Definition of irregular
Noun
  • Few character intros in movie history are better than Indiana Jones snagging that golden idol before being promptly chased by a giant boulder and a tribe of blowdart-wielding warriors.
    — Frank DeRuggiero, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
  • His step no longer looked assured, his body appeared stiff and his warrior mentality finally breached.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of warrior
Noun
  • Brian José Morales García was riding beside his boss through the Texas Hill Country, bound for an air-conditioning job near Fredericksburg, when a state trooper stopped their pickup truck.
    — María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Florida Highway Patrol troopers are continuing to search for the hit-and-run driver, according to Florida Today.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of trooper

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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