Gerund Word Explorer
ConfusableAges 15–20

Mitigate or militate

Mitigate

To make something less severe or harmful.

Regular exercise can mitigate stress.

Militate

To be a strong factor against (or for) something.

Lack of experience militated against her promotion.

Remember: MITIGATE: make it milder. MILITATE, like military, is a force pushing against. You mitigate a risk; facts militate against a plan.

Quick check

Regular exercise can ____ stress.

Short lessonCommonly confused wordsSome words look or sound alike but do different jobs. A small trick keeps them apart.

More like this

Imply or inferTo suggest something without saying it directly.ConfusableAges 15–20Than or thenUsed to compare two things.ConfusableAverse or adverseHaving a strong dislike of or opposition to something.ConfusableAges 15–20