What does antipersonnel mean?
Antipersonnel is an adjective describing weapons that are specifically designed to target human beings rather than vehicles, buildings, or equipment. It appears most often in military, legal, and journalistic contexts, typically attached to nouns such as 'mine', 'weapon', 'munition', or 'device' — for example, an antipersonnel landmine is built to injure individual soldiers or civilians, while an antitank mine is built to destroy armored vehicles. Because these weapons cause indiscriminate harm long after conflicts end, the word carries heavy humanitarian weight: it features prominently in discussions of arms-control agreements such as the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, which bans antipersonnel mines worldwide. The term derives from the prefix 'anti-' combined with 'personnel', reflecting its literal meaning of 'against people'. Writers encounter it mainly in news coverage of warfare, demining operations, and treaty debates, where precision matters: distinguishing antipersonnel from antivehicular or antimateriel weaponry clarifies both military intent and legal obligation.
adjectiveDesigned for use against people rather than against vehicles, structures, or equipment. The term applies chiefly to weapons such as mines, bombs, and munitions intended to kill or injure enemy personnel.
- (of weapons, especially mines and munitions) designed to be directed against people rather than vehicles, buildings, or materiel
"The treaty banned the production and stockpiling of antipersonnel landmines."
"Demining teams spent months clearing antipersonnel mines from the former battlefield."
"International law restricts the transfer of antipersonnel weapons between signatory states."
The 1997 Ottawa Treaty has rid more than 160 countries of antipersonnel landmines — yet dozens of nations still refuse to sign.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antipersonnel
Antipersonnel comes from the prefix 'anti-', meaning 'against', joined to 'personnel', the collective term for military staff. Both elements trace back through French: 'personnel' was borrowed into English from French in the early nineteenth century, while the compound itself emerged in twentieth-century military terminology as weapons technology made targeting distinctions increasingly important. The underlying root is Latin 'persona', meaning a mask or character, which also gives English words such as 'person', 'personal', and 'personality'.
How antipersonnel is actually used
Almost always used attributively before a noun (an antipersonnel mine); it rarely stands alone as a predicate adjective. The term carries strong humanitarian and legal connotations because of international treaties restricting such weapons. Often written with a hyphen ('anti-personnel'), though unhyphenated 'antipersonnel' is standard in American usage.
Easily confused with antipersonnel
Antitank describes weapons designed to destroy armored vehicles, whereas antipersonnel describes weapons designed to kill or injure people.