militate

verb mil·i·tate \ ˈmi-lə-ˌtāt \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of militate

militated; militating

intransitive verb

: to have weight or effect

his boyish appearance militated against his getting an early promotion

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Is mitigate against correct?

Mitigate is sometimes used as an intransitive (followed by against) where militate might be expected. Even though Faulkner used it

- some intangible and invisible social force that mitigates against him
- —William Faulkner

and one critic thinks it should be called an American idiom, it is usually considered a mistake.

Recent Examples of militate from the Web

The facts on the ground now militate against forcibly undoing the steps that have been taken,’’ arbitrator Joel Richler wrote.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Steve Wynn’s ex-wife said she told company lawyer about alleged rape of employee in 2009," 29 Mar. 2018
In the wrong hands, such technology could militate against fair and equal treatment.

— The Economist, "Two-facedThe sunny and the dark side of AI," 28 Mar. 2018
Meanwhile, advocates militated to increase contracts planned for 2018.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Free-spending budget bill likely to benefit Mobile's Austal USA shipyard," 22 Mar. 2018
The scarcity of open slots — just eight or nine productions a season, compared with the dozens of concert weeks available in Davies — militates against a full-on parade of aspirants, as does the long lead time in operatic planning.

— joshua kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, "SF Opera, Symphony seek conductors who can carry musical vision into future," 14 Jan. 2018
Such distortions, often unknown even to the agencies involved, militate against an important element of democratic governance: the public’s ability to participate in federal rule-making.

— gerard baker, WSJ, "The 10-Point.," 13 Dec. 2017
Believing in imminent apocalypse militates against strong social engagement.

— The Economist, "The stand," 4 Nov. 2017
But history and mounting reports of labor shortages militate against that.

— greg ip, WSJ, "The Fed’s Bad Options for Addressing Too-Low Inflation," 13 Sep. 2017
In other words, the Saudis’ threat perceptions militate against too much action.

— stephen tankel, Washington Post, "Trump seeks greater collaboration with Saudi Arabia, but will this boost counterterrorism?," 25 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'militate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of militate

Latin militatus, past participle of militare to engage in warfare, from milit-, miles

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First Known Use: 1598

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