effeminate

[ adjective ih-fem-uh-nit; verb ih-fem-uh-neyt ]
/ adjective ɪˈfɛm ə nɪt; verb ɪˈfɛm əˌneɪt /

adjective

(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), ef·fem·i·nat·ed, ef·fem·i·nat·ing.

to make or become effeminate.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of effeminate

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin effēminātus, equivalent to ef- ef- + fēmin(a) woman + -ātus -ate1

SYNONYMS FOR effeminate

1 See female.

OTHER WORDS FROM effeminate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH effeminate

effeminate effete feminine womanish womanly (see synonym study at womanly)

Words nearby effeminate

effects, effectual, effectually, effectuate, effeminacy, effeminate, effemination, effeminize, effendi, efferent, efferent duct
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for effemination

British Dictionary definitions for effemination

effeminate
/ (ɪˈfɛmɪnɪt) /

adjective

(of a man or boy) displaying characteristics regarded as typical of a woman; not manly
lacking firmness or vigouran effeminate piece of writing

Derived forms of effeminate

effeminacy or effeminateness, nouneffeminately, adverb

Word Origin for effeminate

C14: from Latin effēmināre to make into a woman, from fēmina woman
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for effemination

effemination
[ ĭ-fĕm′ə-nā′shən ]

n.

The acquisition of feminine characteristics, either physiologically by women, or pathologically by persons of either sex.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.