paramilitary

adjective

para·​mil·​i·​tary ˌper-ə-ˈmi-lə-ˌter-ē 

ˌpa-rə-

: of, relating to, being, or characteristic of a force formed on a military pattern especially as a potential auxiliary military force

a paramilitary border patrol

paramilitary training

paramilitary noun

Did you know?

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

Government forces have been attacked by heavily armed paramilitary groups in several villages.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which oversees Iran's vast ballistic missile arsenal, was silent, raising questions about whether anything had been hit at its bases. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024

The sisters listened with a mixture of relief and horror as the soldiers, members of a Sudanese paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, moved through the rest of their house, smashing windows and destroying furniture. —Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2024

According to the restaurant, four of the reenactors were dressed as U.S. ally soldiers, one was dressed as a nurse and the others were dressed as SS officers, a paramilitary group who served as Adolf Hitler's personal body guard. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2024

The contrasts between traditions (peaceful states) and armed pressure (paramilitary and drug trafficking groups) are expressed in different actions, landscapes, bodies and objects. —Photovogue, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above