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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Dissimilar Words

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 other was Albrecht Hohler, thirty, a Communist member of the paramilitary group the Red Front Fighters and well known locally as a particularly vicious thug—a petty criminal who had been released from jail only a few months earlier. — Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026 Police and paramilitary forces were already waiting at the central Delhi marketplace when protesters arrived. — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
Among them was the late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, creating a power vacuum largely filled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful paramilitary, political and economic group. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026 Advertisement When Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, then the relatively unknown mayor of Tehran, was propelled to the presidency in 2005, Mojtaba Khamenei was thought to have orchestrated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij paramilitary’s support for his candidacy. — Kay Armin Serjoie, Time, 9 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
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly questioned whether women should serve in ground combat and special operations roles, arguing that their inclusion could undermine military effectiveness and physical standards.
    — James LaPorta, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Sentinel faces development challenges The Mk21A program operates under a military contract worth more than $1 billion.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of military
Noun
  • Director Avildsen, Stallone and the filmmaking team took a guerrilla-style approach to Rocky, filming in public places on location in Philadelphia often without permits.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Two decades ago, as Colombia’s army fought powerful leftist guerrillas, soldiers killed around 7,000 civilians, dressing up and planting guns on the corpses to inflate enemy body counts, a tribunal later found.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of guerrilla
Adjective
  • Testing the naval configuration The program has already cleared an earlier launch milestone.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The northern/central part of Canada The US… Because of our geographic isolation and military/naval dominance, the US basically doesn’t have to worry about anything but nukes.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of naval
Noun
  • This allows soldiers to retain the option of using an unexpended round as conventional mortar ammunition if it is not dropped or mission requirements change.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
  • MacPherson will play Dugan, a Special Forces soldier toughened by years of combat, joining the film’s two leads.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of soldier
Adjective
  • Tensions between Israel and militant group Hezbollah ratcheted up in 2023 when the latter intensified attacks along Israel’s northern border in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks on the south of the country.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups regularly target anti-polio drives and police protecting health workers, falsely claiming that polio vaccination campaigns are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 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
  • After a bloody skirmish with the orcs and wild men, an imposing figure arrives on horseback, grabbing one of the warriors and hurling him at Galadriel’s approaching horse.
    — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Created by Akira Toriyama and produced by Toei Animation, Dragon Ball Z is a sci-fi fantasy that follows the adventures of Goku, an alien warrior.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of warrior
Noun
  • Morley was found after troopers used roadside cameras and a helicopter to track him down and his truck got stuck in the mud.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Missouri state troopers have captured an escaped convict who broke free from a Tennessee prison last week, a highway patrol spokesperson told Fox News Digital Tuesday.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 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 8 Nov. 2026.

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