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
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
But Lindsay militated against this approach.
—Daniel Wortel-London, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
But Lindsay militated against this approach.
—Daniel Wortel-London, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Militate against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/militate%20against. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
