View synonyms for

effete

[ih-feet]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

lacking in wholesome vigor; degenerate; decadent.
an effete, overrefined society.
exhausted of vigor or energy; worn out.
an effete political force.
Synonyms:
unable to produce; sterile.

effete

/ ɪˈ�ھ�ː�� /

adjective

weak, ineffectual, or decadent as a result of overrefinement
an effete academic
exhausted of vitality or strength; worn out; spent
(of animals or plants) no longer capable of reproduction

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Other Word Forms

effetely adverb
effeteness noun
noneffete adjective
noneffetely adverb
noneffeteness noun
uneffete adjective
uneffeteness noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of effete¹

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of effete¹

C17: from Latin ��ڴ�ŧ�ٳܲ� having produced young, hence, exhausted by bearing, from ��ŧ�ٳܲ� having brought forth; see _fetus

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It’s in his cocky but effete delivery, the same vocal quality I heard when theater queens debated who was the superior Mame at West Village gay bars.

From

“I’ll go after him for being ‘this effete knower of arcane knowledge, who knows little tidbits that no one would care about.’

From

Perfetti gives him an effete contemporaneity, but the character needs new lines more than a new look.

From

Mr. Zeman, a rambunctious, old-school politician with a knack for connecting with ordinary people, delights in offending effete liberal sensibilities and conventional wisdom.

From

Funny, frail, effete, Bettany’s Warhol is as meticulously impersonal as his art, and my goodness he whines.

From

effervescent efficacious

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