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Knowing his military is outmatched against the Americans, he is blurring the distinction between war and peace, deploying tactics that exist in, and thus widen, the gray between: militia violence, propaganda, cyberattacks, under a new rubric the Russian military sometimes calls "hybrid war."

Source: http://www.vox.com/2015/6/29/8845913/russia-war

Does the sentence suggest that the Russia army is greater than the army of the USA (so I understand the phrase "to be outmatched against")? If so, this statement is in contrast to my knowledge and as well as to the logic of the sentence (because Putin is aware that his military is weaker he has to use "hybrid war").

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  • To be outmatched is to be the lesser power/competitor/team. If you are "outrun" the other person runs faster than you do. If you were "outspent", the other person has spent more on something than you did. If you're "outbid", another bidder has bid higher. If you are "outlived", another person has "outlived" you.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    Jul 3, 2015 at 11:42

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The sentence fragment "...his military is outmatched" tells you that his (Putin's) military is inferior to something else. Also, the correct usage is 'Outmatched by...', not 'outmatched against'

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  • +1 for pointing out by instead of against.
    – DRF
    Jul 3, 2015 at 12:57

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