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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Dissimilar Words
as in guerrilla
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paramilitary
Robert Muggah, The Conversation, 4 Jan. 2026
Politically, Maduro consolidated power through loyalist networks within the military, intelligence services, criminal enterprises and civilian paramilitary groups known as colectivos.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025
With El Fasher now apparently in the hands of the RSF, the whole of Darfur is under the paramilitary's control.
—NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Adjective
Armed colectivos – paramilitary groups with a stake in the old order – would resist fiercely.
—Robert Muggah, The Conversation, 4 Jan. 2026
Politically, Maduro consolidated power through loyalist networks within the military, intelligence services, criminal enterprises and civilian paramilitary groups known as colectivos.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2026
Noun
Last year, a leading AfD candidate for the European Parliament insisted that not all members of the Nazi SS paramilitary (responsible for rounding up and exterminating Jews) were criminals.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025
With El Fasher now apparently in the hands of the RSF, the whole of Darfur is under the paramilitary's control.
—NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
Adjective
-
Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 prompted unified Western sanctions, massive military aid, and rhetorical solidarity, but by late 2025, strategic divergences had widened amid battlefield stalemates, economic fatigue, and diplomatic initiatives.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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As an ex-Navy Seal, Kayce will use his military and cowboy skills to fight crime in Montana, according to the show’s description.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Rodríguez is a hard-line leftist with deeply anti-American views learned from her father, a Marxist guerrilla commander who died at the hands of Venezuelan security forces.—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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Such an action, therefore, would not guarantee compliance from civilians and would likely lead to long-term guerrilla actions.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The alliance had been crucial during America’s War of Independence, providing naval power under admirals such as de Grasse, troops at Yorktown, and loans that kept the Continental Army afloat.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
One advanced alloy, made of 70 percent copper and 30 percent nickel, is widely used in naval applications.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Fifty years ago, my father was a Vietnamese soldier who fought as an ally to the United States Armed Forces in Vietnam.—
Bao Phi,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The service has long sought to adopt such standards, but the effort was repeatedly delayed amid broader overhauls of fitness requirements and ongoing debates over how soldiers should be evaluated and how physical demands should be measured across occupations.—
Steven Beynon,
ABC News,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Israel and the Lebanese militant group exchanged fire for over a year before reaching a ceasefire in November 2024.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Iran has been plagued for years by staggering hyperinflation, fueled by Western sanctions imposed over the hardline clerical government's nuclear program and backing for militant groups across the region.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The existence of the irregulars raises an important question: How small can a galaxy get?—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2025
-
The moons, observed from 2019 to 2021 at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, were placed into subgroups within two categories of Saturnian irregulars; the Inuit group contains the Kiviuq and Siarnaq subgroups, and the Norse group contains the Phoebe, Mundilfari, and Kari subgroups.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Build a Snowman Think beyond your traditional snowman and create your own fairytale version, such as a snow princess or snow warrior using dress-up items your kids already have at home.—
Mia Taylor,
Parents,
7 Jan. 2026
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Newsom has also taken his happy-if-bitchy-warrior act into hostile territory by appearing on MAGA podcasts.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
When he was pulled over, troopers detected a certain aroma.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The agreement gives state troopers the ability to interrogate anyone believed to be an immigrant, arrest immigrants in certain instances, and transport immigrants to ICE.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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