Militias rise violently over likenesses (12)
I believe the answer is:
similarities
'likenesses' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both human attributes as well as being plural nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'militias rise violently' is the wordplay.
'violently' indicates anagramming the letters (letters are violently disrupted).
'militias'+'rise'='militiasrise'
'militiasrise' is an anagram of 'SIMILARITIES'.
'over' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for similarities that I've seen before include "Resemblances" , "Parallels" , "things in agreement" .)