militate

[ mil-i-teyt ]
/ ˈmɪl ɪˌteɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR militate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), mil·i·tat·ed, mil·i·tat·ing.

to have a substantial effect; weigh heavily: His prison record militated against him.
Obsolete.
  1. to be a soldier.
  2. to fight for a belief.

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"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of militate

1615–25; < Latin mīlitātus (past participle of mīlitāre to serve as a soldier), equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles) soldier + -ātus -ate1

usage note for militate

See mitigate.

OTHER WORDS FROM militate

mil·i·ta·tion, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH militate

militate mitigate (see usage note at mitigate)

Words nearby militate

military pace, military police, military school, military science, military-industrial complex, militate, milites gloriosi, militia, militia movement of the 1990s, militiaman, milium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to militate

count, import, mean, weigh, register, lade, pull, cut, signify, show, tax, impress, cumber, saddle, matter, charge, burden, press, tell, rate

Example sentences from the Web for militate

British Dictionary definitions for militate

militate
/ (ˈmɪlɪˌteɪt) /

verb

(intr; usually foll by against or for) (of facts, actions, etc) to have influence or effectthe evidence militated against his release

Derived forms of militate

militation, noun

Word Origin for militate

C17: from Latin mīlitātus, from mīlitāre to be a soldier

undefined militate

See mitigate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012