effeminate
Americanadjective
-
(of a man or boy) having traits, tastes, habits, etc., traditionally considered feminine, as softness or delicacy.
-
characterized by excessive softness, delicacy, self-indulgence, etc..
effeminate luxury.
verb (used with or without object)
adjective
-
(of a man or boy) displaying characteristics regarded as typical of a woman; not manly
-
lacking firmness or vigour
an effeminate piece of writing
Synonym Usage
See female.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of effeminate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English effeminat, from Latin effēmināt-, past participle stem of effēmināre “to make feminine,” equivalent to ef- ef- + fēmin(a) “woman” + -āre infinitive suffix
Explanation
The word effeminate is used to describe a man or a boy with characteristics that are more often associated with females. You were once teased for your effeminate, high-pitched voice, but now you're a world-renowned singer. The adjective effeminate comes from Latin roots that mean "womanish." The term is usually meant as an insult. You once thought it was too effeminate for a man to carry a purse, but now you realize how convenient it is. Besides, you often use it to swat at anyone who makes fun of you. If you think it's effeminate to cry during sad movies, that explains why you watch them alone.
Vocabulary lists containing effeminate
Romeo and Juliet
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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What If It's Us
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When I was younger, bald men were often the butt of jokes - but taking steps to regain lost hair seemed to be viewed as effeminate and vain.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
As a “very, very effeminate boy” growing up in Baltimore, Ben Appel was teased mercilessly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
He linked those feelings to insecurities he felt as a teenager, when he suffered chronic teasing from kids at school for being perceived as effeminate.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2023
As the effeminate, rangy Peter, 25-year-old Kodi Smit-McPhee taps into a rich vein of mystery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2022
Annoyed by this sense of effeminate intrigue I got off the platform and lost myself in the mob, crouching and slouching somewhat to do so.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
He looms up as one of the prodigies of earth—yet sent by Providence as an avenger—an instrument of punishment on those effeminated nations, or rather dynasties, which had triumphed over human misery.
From Ancient States and Empires by John Lord
Secondly, such a commonwealth must either be in peace, or war; if she be in peace, the few are soonest effeminated and corrupted and so obnoxious also to faction.
From The Commonwealth of Oceana by James Harrington
No soft luxurious diet then Had effeminated men, No other meat, nor wine had any Than the coarse mast, or simple honey, And by the parents' care laid up Cheap berries did the children sup.
From Poems of Henry Vaughan, Silurist, Volume II by E. K. (Edmund Kerchever) Chambers
As the monarchs became effeminated, new powers sprung up, especially Media, which ultimately completed the ruin of Assyria, under Cyaxares.
From Ancient States and Empires by John Lord
She had made herself his dearest friend without effeminating him, his constant guide without monopolizing him, and his preceptor without ceasing to be his comrade.
From Her Royal Highness Woman by Max O'Rell
Your delicate health has always excluded you from the service; but Raoul is healthy, and it is high time to withdraw him from the effeminating effect of pampering and petting.
From Saint Michael A Romance by E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers) Werner
We are permitted no books but such as tend to the weakening or effeminating of the mind.
From Woman in Science With an Introductory Chapter on Woman's Long Struggle for Things of the Mind by John Augustine Zahm
We are permitted no books but such as tend to the weakening and effeminating of the mind.
From Lady Mary Wortley Montague Her Life and Letters (1689-1762) by Lewis Melville
The little parlour was delightfully warm, with a dim consciousness of sleigh-furs, hack drivers in absurd winter caps, pedestrians huddling themselves and wriggling and grunting for an effeminating background to one’s sense of shelter.
From The White Terror and The Red A novel of revolutionary Russia by Abraham Cahan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
