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

Derived Forms

• efˈfetely, adverb
• efˈfeteness, noun

Other Words From

• ef·fetely adverb
• ef·feteness noun
• nonef·fete adjective
• nonef·fetely adverb
• nonef·feteness noun
• unef·fete adjective
• unef·feteness 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

Trump finds electric cars effete and un-American and has suggested undoing the subsidies and environmental regulations that have incentivized companies to make them and people to buy them.

From Slate

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 New York Times

Studies have shown that Gen Z is having less sex than previous generations had in their early adulthood, a fact that has inspired a certain set of concerned pundits, who in previous decades might have gotten stressed out about teen pregnancy, to fret instead about the effete men and cold women of the younger generation.

From Slate

His goal, pointedly, is to create a sui generis existence fit for the New World, symbolized by his unique variety of apple: “No pampered English import, no effete Continental still reeking of the paws of some French fruitier,” he proclaims.

From Los Angeles Times

“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