Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Depleted of vitality, force, or effectiveness; exhausted: the final, effete period of the baroque style.
- adj. Marked by self-indulgence, triviality, or decadence: an effete group of self-professed intellectuals.
- adj. Overrefined; effeminate.
- adj. No longer productive; infertile.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Past bearing; functionless, as a result of age or exhaustion.
- Hence Having the energies worn out or exhausted; become incapable of efficient action; barren of results.
- Synonyms Unproductive, unfruitful, unprolific.
- Spent, worn out.
- An obsolete spelling of effete.
Wiktionary
- adj. Of substances, quantities etc: exhausted, spent, worn-out.
- adj. Of people: lacking strength or vitality; feeble, powerless, impotent.
- adj. Decadent, self-indulgent; effeminate.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. No longer capable of producing young, as an animal, or fruit, as the earth; hence, worn out with age; exhausted of energy; incapable of efficient action; no longer productive; barren; sterile.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. marked by excessive self-indulgence and moral decay
Etymologies
- Latin effētus, worn out, exhausted : ex-, ex- + fētus, bearing young, pregnant; see dhē(i)- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“The anti-intellectualism that is popular in political and social discourse in this country when referring to the "effete European culture" that puts a high premium on learning and our instant gratification mentality that stems from our over-commercialized society discourages and disparages the kind of hard, persistent, and concentrated work that produces good learning, not just test taking.”
The Huffington Post: Joel Shatzky: Educating for Democracy: Dumbing Down the English Regents
“So quipped Gore Vidal, after being told by William F. Buckley, Jr. that if he didn't stop calling the effete reactionary a crypto-Nazi, the "queer" would get socked "in the goddamned face.”
“Although many karate styles emphasize competition over the so-called effete “dancing” of “traditional” styles that “begin and end with kata,” all karate practitioners decry the sportification suspōtsuka of karate.”
“Is it simply a reproduction of one of these Eastern nationalities, which we are so fond of alluding to as effete?”
“But Russians have similar traits as Iranians : Russians like poisoning a crime known as an effete crime practiced most often by women and Iranians talk tough while trying to get their dirty deeds done by others.”
“The airwaves were filled with insults about "effete" and "cowardly" Frenchmen, the phrase "cheese eating surrender monkeys" was on lips across the nation, and rich patriots were boycotting Rhône wine in the spirit of national sacrifice.”
The Huffington Post: Richard (RJ) Eskow: The French Connection: That Jailed Banker Raises US Issues
“The airwaves were filled with insults about "effete" and "cowardly" Frenchmen, the phrase "cheese eating surrender monkeys" was on many a pair of lips, and rich patriots were boycotting Rhône wine in the spirit of national sacrifice.”
The Huffington Post: Richard (RJ) Eskow: The French Connection: That Jailed Banker Raises US Issues
“The airwaves were filled with insults about "effete" and "cowardly" Frenchmen, the phrase "cheese eating surrender monkeys" was on lips across the nation, and rich patriots were boycotting Rhône wine in the spirit of national sacrifice.”
The Huffington Post: Richard (RJ) Eskow: The French Connection: That Jailed Banker Raises US Issues
“I know, I know — the term "effete" doesn't begin to describe such an approach to fishing, but as we say in New York, "What are ya gonna do?”
“I'm a democrat that will vote for McCain if the Dems are moronic enough to select this 'effete' for it's party.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘effete’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
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cicatrix
scar tissue
minatory, naira, Cluniac, embracive, prolix, hierophant, timorous, adduce, veracious, dysphoric, sang-froid, vitiate and 414 more...
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Masterson's list
kingparton As we find stumps of vast trees in our exhausted soils, and have received traditions of their ancient fertility to tillage, so history reckons epochs in which the intellect of famed races becomes effete.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, English Traits Jul 25, 2011
seanahan Always reminds me of effeminate. Oct 21, 2007
skipvia See effete liberals. Oct 21, 2007