effete

American  

[ih-feet] / ɪˈfit /

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.

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effete British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of effete

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

Explanation

Effete is a disapproving term meaning decadent and self-indulgent, even useless. The stereotype of the rugged Westerner is just as false as the one of the effete East Coast liberal. The origin of the word effete is a little unexpected. Coming from the Latin effetus "out of, past childbearing," effete meant "exhausted, spent" long before it acquired the sense of morally exhausted and overly refined. This is the main use of the word today. Do you ever wonder why some effete party girls are considered celebrities? Star athletes run the risk of losing their edge and becoming effete posterboys for their sports.

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.

From Salon • Nov. 23, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2023

He’s concerned about it, and so is the culture, which is rife with rituals meant to appease masculine anxiety about being effete, domesticated, or bloodless.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2020

The low-budget action movies that the iconoclastic critic Manny Farber called “underground films” in an essay defiantly subtitled “a bit of male truth”— nothing effete about these flicks — were Hollywood mainstays through the 1950s.

From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2019

Frasier considers Abstract Expressionism a tired, effete art form.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner