militate means to give force or effect toward; to influence. It carries an Arena rating of 1474, earned across 20 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, militate ranks #2,462 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,620 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,698 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #4,024 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
militate is pronounced /ˈmɪlɪteɪt/.
Why “militate” is a great word
To exert a powerful, impersonal force, typically one that works against a particular outcome. From Latin mīlitātus, the past participle of mīlitāre (“to serve as a soldier”), from miles (“soldier”), first attested in English in 1598. Unlike “mitigate,” which seeks to soften a blow, or “facilitate,” which paves the way forward, “militate” describes the weight of circumstance itself lining up in opposition. It is the poor weather militating against a picnic, the cumulative weight of past failures settling in the joints of a new endeavor, or the sheer inertia of the status quo standing like a phalanx against change—a reminder that our decisions are made not in a vacuum, but in a landscape crowded with silent, soldierly facts.
Etymology
First attested in 1598; borrowed from Latin mīlitātus, perfect passive participle from mīlitō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Semantically from its cognate, French militer.
verb
- To give force or effect toward; to influence.e.g.“to militate in favor of a particular result”
- To serve as a soldier or participate in warfare.e.g.“This..moues many Italian Caualiers to militate in the warres of Holland.” — 1625, Nathanael Brent, Free Schoole of Warre:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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