Definition

Adjective: - Designed to kill or injure people rather than to damage buildings or equipment: Used to describe weapons, mines, or explosives whose primary purpose is to harm human beings.

Usage

The adjective "antipersonnel" is used almost exclusively to modify nouns related to weapons, munitions, or military tactics. It specifies that the purpose is to target personnel (soldiers or civilians) as opposed to structures, vehicles, or equipment.

Examples

• The treaty bans the use, stockpiling, and transfer of antipersonnel landmines.
• The soldiers were warned about antipersonnel devices hidden along the path.
• This type of antipersonnel grenade is designed to scatter shrapnel over a wide area.

Advanced Usage

• "antipersonnel mine": The most common collocation, referring to a mine exploded by the presence, proximity, or contact of a person.
• "antipersonnel weapon": A general term for any weapon system designed primarily to attack people.

Variants and Related Words

• Anti-materiel (adj): Designed to destroy or damage military equipment and structures, as opposed to people. This is often considered the conceptual opposite in military terminology.
  • The sniper used an anti-materiel rifle to disable the enemy vehicle.

Synonyms

• Anti-personnel (alternative hyphenated spelling)
• Anti-infantry (specifically for use against soldiers on foot)

Notes

• The term is typically hyphenated as "anti-personnel" in general writing, but the closed form "antipersonnel" is standard in military and technical contexts, especially when used as an adjective before a noun (e.g., antipersonnel mine).
• It carries a strong connotation of indiscriminate harm and is frequently discussed in the context of international humanitarian law and disarmament treaties.

Adjective

1. designed to inflict death or personal injury rather than material destruction