Meanings
nounillegal combatant (plural illegal combatants)
plural illegal combatants
- A person who engages in combat without meeting the requirements for a lawful belligerent according to the laws of war as specified in the Third Geneva Convention.
Synonyms: unlawful combatant, unprivileged combatant
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who engages in combat without meeting the requirements for a lawful belligerent according to the laws of war as specified in the Third Geneva Convention.
Similar
unlawful combatantunprivileged combatant
Translations
Finnish laiton taistelija
- laiton taistelijaone who engages in combat without meeting the Geneva Convention
French combattant illégal
- combattant illégalone who engages in combat without meeting the Geneva Convention
German ungesetzlicher Kombattant
- ungesetzlicher Kombattantone who engages in combat without meeting the Geneva Convention
Italian combattente illegale
- combattente illegaleone who engages in combat without meeting the Geneva Convention
Portuguese combatente ilegal
- combatente ilegalone who engages in combat without meeting the Geneva Convention
Russian незако́нный бое́ц
- незако́нный бое́ц (nezakónnyj bojéc)one who engages in combat without meeting the Geneva Convention
Spanish combatiente ilegal
- combatiente ilegalone who engages in combat without meeting the Geneva Convention
Swedish olaglig stridande
- olaglig stridandeone who engages in combat without meeting the Geneva Convention
Cite this entry
APA
illegal combatant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illegal%20combatant
MLA
“illegal combatant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illegal%20combatant. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “illegal combatant,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illegal%20combatant.
Source: illegal combatant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.