1
as in degenerate
having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit
the soft, effete society that marked the final years of the Roman empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weak
lacking bodily strength
the outdoor adventure program takes effete youths and turns them into hardy campers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in weakened
lacking strength of will or character
the governor is too effete to take on the powerful special interests that really run this state
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4
as in feminine
of or relating to a man who has or displays qualities traditionally considered more suitable for women
wore a slightly more effete style of clothing in those days
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of effete
Perfetti gives him an effete contemporaneity, but the character needs new lines more than a new look.
—
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
The once-nerdy kid has become a blue-collar first responder just like grandfather Martin, and has nothing in common with his snobbish, effete father.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2023
Once again, there are the effete snobs and the salt-of-the-earth people who tolerate them.
—TIME, 9 Oct. 2023
Garden gazing balls by Sula Bermúdez-Silverman are grasped by the upright claws of an imperial eagle, the spheres filled with homey substances like hair gel and studded with effete fragments of colonial treasure — bits of coral or silver sugar tongs.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for effete
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
The once-nerdy kid has become a blue-collar first responder just like grandfather Martin, and has nothing in common with his snobbish, effete father.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2023
Once again, there are the effete snobs and the salt-of-the-earth people who tolerate them.
—TIME, 9 Oct. 2023
Garden gazing balls by Sula Bermúdez-Silverman are grasped by the upright claws of an imperial eagle, the spheres filled with homey substances like hair gel and studded with effete fragments of colonial treasure — bits of coral or silver sugar tongs.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for effete
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effete
Adjective
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In theory, the walls of carbon nanotubes house a sea of degenerate electrons that have a similar density to metals.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
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There was alarm at the prospect of hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning to the U.S. with such degenerate experience under their belts, and presumably spreading these habits among hitherto innocent American wives.—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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For example, an experimental receiver aboard the Blue Ghost lander acquired and tracked navigation signals from GPS satellites for the first time in lunar orbit, where these signals are 361 times weaker than on Earth.—
Kristin Shaw,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
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Salesforce shares fell in extended trading Wednesday on mixed quarterly results and weak guidance.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In a press statement, the new line is described as blending directional design with a feminine edge.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
3 Mar. 2025
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The new brand is fusing together architectural design with a feminine edge.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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With water, syrupy raisin and date notes comes forward in a big way, but an unexpected cotton candy sweetness keeps the nose from coming off as too rich and decadent.—
Chris Perugini,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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Add a coordinating duvet cover to bring decadent, old-world energy to even the most modern and minimal of bedrooms.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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When experienced all at once, these features can further shake an emerging adult’s already feeble sense of stability.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
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But the currency is still weak and spending still feeble, prompting fresh debate about what actions the country’s central bank should take.—
River Akira Davis,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Their emphasis on key soft skill behaviors makes everybody in the organization much better—even the youngest, least experienced employees.—
Bruce Tulgan,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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As for the future, Leopold suggests that soft skills will play a major role.—
Ryan Johnston,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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So in a move that no one had approved, Wayans put on an effeminate voice for the character in hopes Executive Producer Lorne Michaels would be angry.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
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In both sketches, Keaton plays an effeminate man who doesn’t quite understand the assignment.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes,
20 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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In Benediction, Terence Davies had to split Siegfried Sassoon into two (Jack Lowden, Peter Capaldi) to create a comparably complex personality, but Scott’s Adam is all the more moving for being less refined, a performance of sustained fragility and unmanly truth.—
Armond White,
National Review,
29 Dec. 2023
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Why is his governess, Mrs. Brock, fired for encouraging Richard’s unmanly interest in poetry and music?—
Francine Prose,
The New York Review of Books,
22 Nov. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Effete.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effete. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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