paramilitary
adjective
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This term paramilitary can take in a wide range of organizations, but is usually applied to forces formed by a government. Groups opposing a government, even when organized along military lines, are more often referred to as guerrillas or insurgents. In countries with weak central governments (such as, in recent times, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, or Congo), warlords may form their own paramilitary forces and take over all local police and military functions. Paramilitary often has a sinister sound today, since it's also applied to groups of off-duty military or police personnel who carry out illegal violence, often at night, with the quiet support of a government.
Examples of paramilitary in a Sentence
Zach Dorfman, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
But the focus on civil war by paramilitary and anti-government groups has been particularly intense this year leading up to the election.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
The woman had previously been harassed by members of the Basij, an Iranian volunteer paramilitary group, inside the university’s grounds, according to an Iranian student social media channel, the Amir Kabir newsletter,.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
Based on a real-life massacre in 1993 where Bosnian Muslims were removed from a train by the Serbian White Eagles, the story follows the one individual who attempted to stand up to the paramilitary group.
—Karen Idelson, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramilitary. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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