militate against
phrasal 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
Are there positive factors that might militate against removal?
—
Steve Inskeep, NPR, 15 Jan. 2025
Fairness, equity and the rule of law combined militate against permitting immigrants who have flouted the law more generously than immigrants who have patiently waited in line for years to obtain proper visas.
—Armstrong Williams, Orange County Register, 13 Jan. 2025
Eve Humphrey’s perky dining car Dinah is delightfully precise, but the production’s rush to get to the next race militates against stronger work from pretty much everyone.
—David Benedict, Variety, 30 June 2024
Domestic and international political factors militate against compromise.
—Alex Clapp, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
The national security establishment has for decades warned that our rapidly deepening debt, $30 trillion and counting, is a danger that militates against our global power.
—Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2024
The longstanding view of the U.S. Justice Department also militates against criminal justice immunity for former presidents.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2024
His memory embodies two principles that will militate against forever Putinism: the refusal to tolerate apathy and the refusal to accept that Russian politics is entirely a top-down operation.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2024
Speed and accuracy militate against each other and sometimes errors occur.
—Washington Examiner, 15 Dec. 2023
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Steve Inskeep, NPR, 15 Jan. 2025
Fairness, equity and the rule of law combined militate against permitting immigrants who have flouted the law more generously than immigrants who have patiently waited in line for years to obtain proper visas.
—Armstrong Williams, Orange County Register, 13 Jan. 2025
Eve Humphrey’s perky dining car Dinah is delightfully precise, but the production’s rush to get to the next race militates against stronger work from pretty much everyone.
—David Benedict, Variety, 30 June 2024
Domestic and international political factors militate against compromise.
—Alex Clapp, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
The national security establishment has for decades warned that our rapidly deepening debt, $30 trillion and counting, is a danger that militates against our global power.
—Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2024
The longstanding view of the U.S. Justice Department also militates against criminal justice immunity for former presidents.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2024
His memory embodies two principles that will militate against forever Putinism: the refusal to tolerate apathy and the refusal to accept that Russian politics is entirely a top-down operation.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2024
Speed and accuracy militate against each other and sometimes errors occur.
—Washington Examiner, 15 Dec. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Militate against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/militate%20against. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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