effete

[ ih-feet ]

/ ɪˈfit /

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See synonyms for: effete / effeteness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

lacking in wholesome vigor; degenerate; decadent: an effete, overrefined society.

exhausted of vigor or energy; worn out: an effete political force.

unable to produce; sterile.

OTHER WORDS FOR effete

2 enervated, debilitated.

See synonyms for effete on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of effete

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin effēta “exhausted from bearing,” equivalent to ef- “from, out of” (see ef-) + fēta “having brought forth,” feminine past participle of lost verb; see fetus

OTHER WORDS FROM effete

ef·fete·ly, adverbef·fete·ness, nounnon·ef·fete, adjectivenon·ef·fete·ly, adverb

non·ef·fete·ness, nounun·ef·fete, adjectiveun·ef·fete·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH effete

effeminate, effete , feminine, womanish, womanly

Words nearby effete

effendi, efferent, effervesce, effervescence, effervescent, effete, efficacious, efficacity, efficacy, efficiency, efficiency apartment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use effete in a sentence

The Macedonians, on the other hand, regarded their southern neighbors as being effete and soft.
The Mighty Ancient Macedonian Army of Alexander the Great|Dattatreya Mandal|August 4, 2022|Realm of History
There, a young research student, Helen Lyle, encounters graffiti warning of the Candyman, digs into the lore surrounding him, and discovers a sophisticated, effete serial killer.
How an unsolved murder and a public housing crisis led to Candyman|Aja Romano|August 27, 2021|Vox
Tarantino says, “The days are gone” of Diego “pretending to be effete.”
Zorro at 100: Why the original swashbuckler is still the quintessential American action hero|Michael Sragow|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
Some critics have made the same sorts of arguments about the remote and effete president.
The McConnell Friend Obama Just Hired|Jonathan Miller|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Unlike their effete northeastern shadows, country boys rarely fade away.
Let Us Now Praise Famous Rednecks and Their Unjustly Unsung Kin|Allison Glock|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The courtiers were an effete and in some cases epicene crew.
Queen Victoria’s Secret Scottish Sex Castle|Clive Irving|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It sees test scores as effete and irrelevant, like the older privileges of birth.
We Need More Class Traitors: Solving America’s Meritocracy Problem|Jedediah Purdy|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When I went to basketball camp, the boys from the real West Virginia would make fun of us effete Morgantown kids.
In West Virginia Water, an Environmental Nightmare Borders on Crisis|Michael Tomasky|January 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The taint was too inveterate to be eradicated; the evil was immedicable; Rome was already effete and moribund.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
Would those silly men, those servile votaries of fortune, those effete courtiers, have said this a week ago?
The 'Characters' of Jean de La Bruyre|Jean de La Bruyre
Many chemical substances can be combined with water to cleanse these effete productions from the skin.
Scientific American Supplement, Vol. XV., No. 388, June 9, 1883|Various
The crocodile of America, superior in every detail to the crocodile of the effete monarchies of the Old World.
The Devil's Dictionary|Ambrose Bierce
The Terms had adopted mankind's culture, they had no further need of their effete native customs.
Exploiter's End|James Causey

British Dictionary definitions for effete

effete

/ (ɪˈfiːt) /

adjective

weak, ineffectual, or decadent as a result of overrefinementan effete academic

exhausted of vitality or strength; worn out; spent

(of animals or plants) no longer capable of reproduction

Derived forms of effete

effetely, adverbeffeteness, noun

Word Origin for effete

C17: from Latin effētus having produced young, hence, exhausted by bearing, from fētus having brought forth; see fetus

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

effete

OTHER WORDS FOR effete

Origin of effete

OTHER WORDS FROM effete

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH effete

Words nearby effete

Words related to effete

How to use effete in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for effete

Derived forms of effete

Word Origin for effete