militate against

verb

militated against; militating against; militates against

formal

: to make (something) unlikely to happen : to prevent (something) from happening

His inexperience militates against his getting an early promotion.

factors militating against success

Examples of militate against in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ambivalence is a story of solitude, patience, and faith—qualities that contemporary culture seems to militate against. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

The Islamic Republic can either militate against Mecca, in other words, or give up its revolutionary ambitions at last. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Schjerfbeck’s mature style doesn’t just use vague forms but rigorously militates against detail. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026

The wrong ordering principle Powerful forces militate against the idea of organizing the world into spheres-of-influence. — Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for militate against

• commenced
• condensed
• dispensed
• expensed
• incensed
• unfenced
• fenced
• sensed
• tensed
• recommenced
• recompensed