militate
verb
mil·i·tate
ˈmi-lə-ˌtāt
militated; militating
: to have weight or effect
his boyish appearance militated against his getting an early promotion
Mitigate vs. Militate: Usage Guide
Mitigate is sometimes used as an intransitive (followed by against) where militate might be expected. Even though Faulkner used it
some intangible and invisible social force that mitigates against him
—William Faulkner
and one critic thinks it should be called an American idiom, it is usually considered a mistake.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share