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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
militate
verb
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Equally, the extension of the traditional practice of periodic redistribution of the land between households continued to militate against individual initiative.
▪ Even the humdrum tasks are varied enough to militate against a sense of monotony.
▪ Sufficient they must take; but too many would be counter-productive and would militate against surprise and secrecy.
▪ The two approaches are not mutually exclusive, though efficiency does tend to militate against combinations.
▪ The very size would seem to militate against action on closure, with the point of non-viability being some way off.
▪ These fundamental dissimilarities will surely militate against the two communities coming together.
▪ These provisions are likely to militate against repeat applications and unduly long orders except where strictly necessary.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Militate

Militate \Mil"i*tate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Militated; p. pr. & vb. n. Militating.] [L. militare, militatum, to be a soldier, fr. miles, militis, soldier.] To make war; to fight; to contend; -- usually followed by against and with.

These are great questions, where great names militate against each other.
--Burke.

The invisible powers of heaven seemed to militate on the side of the pious emperor.
--Gibbon.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
militate

1620s, "to serve as a soldier" (now rare), from Latin militatum, past participle of militare "serve as a soldier," from miles "soldier" (see military (adj.)). Sense developed via "conflict with," to "be evidence" for or against (1640s). Related: Militated; militating.

Wiktionary
militate

vb. 1 To give force or effect toward; to influence. 2 (context obsolete English) To fight.

WordNet
militate

v. have force or influence; bring about an effect or change; "Politeness militated against this opinion being expressed"

Usage examples of "militate".

But the use of animal flesh and fermented liquors directly militates with this equality of the rights of man.

And in Fimbria there was some kind of mind-set which seemed to militate against our folk from the earliest times.

But, what also militates greatly against the presumption that either revenge or an abnormal predisposition to cruelty could have animated Winder, is that the possession of any two such mental traits so strongly marked would presuppose a corresponding activity of other intellectual faculties, which was not true of him, as from all I can learn of him his mind was in no respect extraordinary.

Injury can destroy the career of a judoka, and the conventions that militated against physical damage did not seem to be operative with Diago.

Maybe the very success of the arthropod Bauplan militates against them ever evolving into forms suitable of filling the ecological niche of large terrestrial life forms.

To this cause may be added another, also mentioned by Lord Bacon -- a misdirected zeal in matters of religion, which induces so many to decry a newly-discovered truth, because the Divine records contain no allusion to it, or because, at first sight, it appears to militate, not against religion, but against some obscure passage which has never been fairly interpreted.

And although, according to this rule, the ceremonies and legal procedures of the Old Testament are not now observed, since they are to be understood figuratively, whereas the truth is made known in the New Testament, yet the carrying out of the Sacrament or of Relics to still a storm does not seem to militate against this rule.

And he reasons thus: that the sin of man proceeds from free-will, but the devil cannot destroy free-will, for this would militate against liberty: therefore the devil cannot be the cause of that or any other sin.

Also, of course, after a certain level, perpetual war may militate against technological progress.

He's the central figure -- it's his relationship with Lily that fuels the plot, and all the other characters are linked by their friendship with him -- but Denton gives us chapters from every other significant character's point of view as well, and this tends to militate against the kind of exaggerated humor of Bellwether.

Reasons of prudence, or the interest of other people, may militate against actually exacting it.

He had almost started to tiptoe down the stairs again when it occurred to him that too scrupulous a regard for his own honour in this instance might militate against his being able to rescue Amanda.

Widespread Economic Independence will of course militate against such a trend.

This would militate against making the contest a respected annual event.

For if it happened that an individual, even when asleep, had some very distinct idea, as, for example, if a geometer should discover some new demonstration, the circumstance of his being asleep would not militate against its truth.