effete

[ih-feet]

adjective

1. lacking in wholesome vigor; degenerate; decadent.

   an effete, overrefined society.

2. exhausted of vigor or energy; worn out.

   an effete political force.

   Synonyms: enervated

3. unable to produce; sterile.

effete

/ ɪˈfiːt /

adjective

1. weak, ineffectual, or decadent as a result of overrefinement

   an effete academic

2. exhausted of vitality or strength; worn out; spent

3. (of animals or plants) no longer capable of reproduction

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of effete¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of effete¹

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

Example Sentences

Mostly that has meant pretending to be a Real American by riding horses, going hunting or driving around in a pick-up to prove they aren’t some effete city slicker.

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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.

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

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

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

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