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Terrorist vs Counterterrorist - What's the difference?

terrorist | counterterrorist |

As nouns the difference between terrorist and counterterrorist

is that terrorist is terrorist while counterterrorist is a person involved in counter-terrorism, who works against terrorists.

As an adjective counterterrorist is

intended to combat terrorism.

terrorist

English

(wikipedia terrorist)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A person, group, or organization that uses violent action, or the threat of violent action, to further political goals.
  • An agent or partisan of the revolutionary tribunal during the in France.

    • Hyponyms

    * lone wolfer

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Of or relating to terrorism.

    • Usage notes

    The use of the label "terrorist" is often controversial or subjective, since one person's terrorist may be another's "freedom fighter", and vice versa depending on somebody's personal ideology of beliefs. A cynical definition may be that a terrorist is someone who murders or terrorizes more of those for whom the terrorist is fighting, than his supposed enemies.

    Related terms

    * terror * terrorize * terroristic * terrorism * eco-terrorist English words suffixed with -ist ---- ==Norwegian Bokmål==

    Noun

    (nb-noun-m1)
  • (person who uses terror as a weapon in a political struggle)

    • Related terms

    * (l) ----

    counterterrorist

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Intended to combat terrorism
  • * {{quote-news, 1988, January 29, Michael Miner, Art of Our Arrogance/Rethinking Vietnam, Chicago Reader citation
    • , passage=Henry Kissinger was there; so was Robert Komer, the CIA officer who ran the counterterrorist "pacification" program in 1967 and '68

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person involved in counter-terrorism, who works against terrorists.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=January 12, author=Alessandra Stanley, title=Bombers Strike, and America Is in Turmoil. It’s Just Another Day for Jack Bauer., work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=Every new season of this Fox thriller is another twist of a kaleidoscope: the same pieces — terrorists; counterterrorists (and, almost inevitably, a mole); an innocent suburban family; and the president, his aides and his family — are tumbled together to form new patterns around the central figure of the special agent Jack Bauer. }}