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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in guerilla
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Recent Examples of paramilitary
Reuters, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025
Since the Sudan civil war began in the spring of 2023, Russia has supported two forces utilized by the current military government, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan Armed Forces, through the Wagner Group, a private military company.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
In Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and the Blue Nile region, food scarcity is being weaponized—as both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group, are accused of using starvation tactics against civilians.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025
The Sudanese Army has been locked in a deadly battle with the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group, since April of 2023.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Adjective
Attacks by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have killed more than 200 people over the past three days, activists said Tuesday, as the paramilitary group delayed signing a political charter that could pave the way for a breakaway government.
—Reuters, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025
Since the Sudan civil war began in the spring of 2023, Russia has supported two forces utilized by the current military government, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan Armed Forces, through the Wagner Group, a private military company.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
In Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and the Blue Nile region, food scarcity is being weaponized—as both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group, are accused of using starvation tactics against civilians.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025
The Sudanese Army has been locked in a deadly battle with the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group, since April of 2023.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paramilitary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paramilitary
Adjective
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The Pentagon will continue its review of probationary officers before making the cuts that Musk and DOGE have looked to achieve, but the turnover of top military officers will likely continue.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
23 Feb. 2025
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But the indictment against Bolsonaro suggests that the Brazilian leader went much further than Trump did, allegedly bringing high-ranking military officers into a coup plot and signing off on a plan to have prominent political opponents murdered.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The federal lawsuit was filed less than a month after the same attorneys sued for access to migrants already detained at the U.S. naval base in Cuba after living in the country illegally.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
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Secretary Hegseth heads to Guantanamo Bay Satellite imagery of the Guantanamo Bay naval base shows the rapid construction of more than a hundred new structures as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to house tens of thousands of migrants at the facility.—
Victoria Beaule,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The singer and the songwriter traversed the frontlines of the urban guerrilla war that had consumed the city of Homs by that point, with one half of the city overtaken by regime soldiers and the other half controlled by rebel groups.—
Jawad Rizkallah,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2025
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The Polisario’s guerrilla war against the Moroccan occupation clocked some impressive victories until 1991, when the two parties signed a cease-fire pegged to the pledge of a referendum on self-determination.—
Hannah Rae Armstrong,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Hamas, which has fought Israeli troops for more than a year in its Gaza stronghold since attacking communities in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, said sending tanks showed the threats faced by Israeli troops from militant fighters in the camps.—
Raneen Sawafta and James Mackenzie,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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The militant group hoped the event would revive its battered image.—
Emmett Lindner,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
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So, there is a sense that London is dangerous and that all the soldiers have just returned and brought their guns with them.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2025
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Carleton argues that Russell and Tolstoy’s focus on the plight of the individual soldier amid the horror and senselessness of war shaped the public perception of later quagmires, such as World War I and the Vietnam War.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In a word, even before yesterday, Donbas was well on its way to becoming Ukraine’s Bosnia -- with Putin playing the part of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, Russia playing the part of Serbia, and Putin’s Donbas supporters playing the part of Bosnian Serb irregulars.—
Alexander J. Motyl,
Foreign Affairs,
17 July 2014
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But when strong-arm tactics by security irregulars failed to suppress the massive demonstrations in Tahrir Square, the senior officer corps, who regarded themselves foremost as guardians of the first Egyptian revolution, sent Mubarak into retirement.—
Robert H. Pelletreau,
Foreign Affairs,
24 Feb. 2011
Noun
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General Caine’s nickname embodied the kind of hell-raiser warrior straight out of central casting that Mr. Trump was looking for in his top general, officials said.—
Eric Schmitt,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
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The sword, broken in two, might have been used by Vandal warriors and buried in a funeral ritual.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paramilitary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paramilitary. Accessed 8 Mar. 2025.
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