militate

American  

[mil-i-teyt] / ˈmɪl ɪˌteɪt /

verb (used without object)

militated, militating

1. to have a substantial effect; weigh heavily.

   His prison record militated against him.

2. Obsolete.

   1. to be a soldier.

   2. to fight for a belief.

---

militate British  

/ ˈmɪlɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. (intr; usually foll by against or for) (of facts, actions, etc) to have influence or effect

   the evidence militated against his release

---

Commonly Confused

See mitigate.

Other Word Forms

• militation noun

Etymology

Origin of militate

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin mīlitātus (past participle of mīlitāre “to serve as a soldier”), equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles ) “soldier” + -ātus verb suffix; -ate ¹

Example Sentences

What if U.S. domestic concerns militate in favor of amending the legal structures of those countries?

From Barron's

Though they recognized the antebellum nation as configured in such a way that militated against their social advancement, Hosea Easton, for example, claimed that Black people were “constitutionally Americans.”

From Salon

"And it's ridiculous that he wants to call E. Jean a liar when the facts militate toward the truth, which is what she said happened."

From Salon

But in this case, sovereignty militates in the opposite direction.

From New York Times

She also noted in the judgement that she had "sympathy" for the long wait for the trial to start, which "militates against fairness" to Fan.

From Reuters

Related Words

• count
• import
• mean