effete

adjective ef·fete \ e-ˈfēt , i- \

Definition of effete

1 : no longer fertile

2 a : having lost character, vitality, or strength

the effete monarchies … of feudal Europe
—G. M. Trevelyan

… macrophages that recycle used iron from effete red cells.
—Nancy C. Andrews

b : marked by weakness or decadence

the effete East

c : soft or delicate from or as if from a pampered existence

peddled … trendy tweeds to effete Easterners
—William Helmer

effete tenderfeet

; also : characteristic of an effete person

a wool scarf … a bit effete on an outdoorsman
—Nelson Bryant

3 : effeminate 1

a good-humored, effete boy brought up by maiden aunts
—Herman Wouk

—

effetely

adverb

—

effeteness

noun

See effete defined for English-language learners

See effete defined for kids

effete was our Word of the Day on 01/21/2016. Hear the podcast!

Examples of effete in a Sentence

effete members of the aristocracy
the soft, effete society that marked the final years of the Roman empire

Recent Examples of effete from the Web

Day's Sir Harcourt, with his ebony-dyed locks and effete manners, shares lineage with the fops of Restoration comedy.

— kerry reid, chicagotribune.com, "Lively wit and tangled love interests in 'London Assurance'," 27 June 2017
Tulip glasses, snifters, and even wine glasses are a step up, nominal signs that a bar cares about, or at least has considered, an elevated beer experience. Don’t worry about feeling effete drinking beer from one of these glasses.

— justin kennedy, GQ, "How to Tell a Great Beer Bar From a Lame One," 22 May 2017
Much of what Royko disdained about the increasingly effete nature of journalism will be on display Saturday at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

— The Hive, "Sorry, Internet: Justin Trudeau Is Actually Terrible on Press Freedom," 27 Apr. 2017
He’s also programmed as a high-culture showoff with a taste for nostalgic kitsch, embodying a repugnant stereotype, the high-culturally effete and seductively evil gay man—

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "“Alien: Covenant” Bursts with Pomposity," 24 May 2017
By contrast, right-wing populism sets up a triadic antagonism between the people, the elite, and a third segment of the population that is supposedly being coddled by the political establishment: Muslims, immigrants, effete intellectuals, and so on.

— yascha mounk, New Republic, "What the rise of populist movements means for democracy.," 19 July 2017
If anything it was meant to signal a reminder that to me the best indie pop is not introspective, cardigan-clad and effete but loud, unhinged and vital.

— natalie weiner, Billboard, "What Is It About The Ronettes' 'Be My Baby'? Some of the Countless Artists to Lift the Iconic Drum Beat Weigh In," 14 July 2017
Will and Grace were a couple entangled in every sense but the romantic one, surrounded by their scene-stealing sidekicks, effete and bitchy Jack (Sean Hayes) and soused and bitchy Karen (Megan Mullally).

— willa paskin, Slate Magazine, "Because now it’s a sharp comedy about white, moneyed, liberal hypocrisy.," 28 Sep. 2017
Franz Xaver Winterhalter’s 1854 portrait shows him looking mightily effete, decked out in rich silk brocades but sans armband with diamond.

— henrik bering, WSJ, "The Jewel in the Crown," 8 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'effete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Effete derives from Latin effetus, meaning "no longer fruitful," and for a brief time in English it was used to describe an animal no longer capable of producing offspring. For most of its existence in English, however, the use of "effete" has been entirely figurative. For many years, the usual figurative sense of the word was "exhausted" or "worn out," but today "effete" is more likely to suggest overrefinement, weakness of character, snobbery, and effeminacy. "Effete" first showed signs of acquiring these shades of meaning in the 1920s, but it wasn't until the 1940s that the new "effete" clearly established itself in reputable writing. One example can be found in John Steinbeck's 1945 novel Cannery Row: "now and then some effete customer would order a stinger or an anisette."