Understanding the Differences: Militate vs. Mitigate

Militate vs. Mitigate

Sometimes, words in English sound alike, but they mean different things. Two such words are militate and mitigate. Let’s learn about them!

History of the Words

The word militate comes from the Latin word militare, which means “to serve as a soldier.” It started to be used in English around the 17th century.

The word mitigate comes from the Latin word mitigare, which means “to soften or to make gentle.” It started to be used in English around the 14th century.

How to Use Them

Militate means to have a big effect or influence on something, usually in a way that stops something from happening. It’s often used with the word against.

Mitigate means to make something less bad or less severe. It is often used to talk about problems or pain.

Trick to Remember the Difference

To remember the difference, think about the military for militate. The military can stop things from happening. For mitigate, think of mints that make your breath softer and nicer!

Examples of Militate

1. The rainy weather militated against our picnic plans.
2. The lack of support may militate against the team’s success.
3. Hard rules can militate against creativity.
4. His bad habits militate against his health.
5. The noise outside militated against their concentration.

Examples of Mitigate

1. We put on sunblock to mitigate sunburn.
2. The teacher spoke calmly to mitigate the argument.
3. Drinking water can mitigate thirst.
4. He took medicine to mitigate the pain.
5. A good night’s sleep mitigates tiredness.

Summary

In short, use militate when something acts as a strong force preventing something else. Use mitigate to talk about making something less bad or less intense.

Remember: military stops things = militate. Mints make things softer = mitigate.