militate against
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to make it harder for something to happen or succeed. You use this when a fact or situation works as a disadvantage against a plan.
phrasal verb. to serve as a powerful or conclusive factor in preventing a certain outcome. This verb is intransitive and functions as a formal, often academic, way to describe opposing forces or evidence.
The bad weather will militate against our chances of finishing the roof today.
His lack of experience in international law might militate against his application for the senior diplomatic post.
Several structural factors militate against the success of the new economic policy, most notably the high rate of inflation and the lack of foreign investment.
almost always followed by the preposition 'against' and an abstract noun representing a goal or outcome.
ensure students do not confuse this with 'mitigate'; 'militate' acts like a weight against something, while 'mitigate' makes a bad situation less severe.
The evidence militates for a change in policy.The evidence militates against the current policy.in modern usage, 'militate' is almost exclusively paired with 'against' to show opposition, not 'for' to show support.
Last updated July 26, 2026