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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
But with the advent of the Great Depression and World War II, his urbane, effete mannequins fell out of favor.
—Dan Avery, NBC News, 7 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for effete
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
But with the advent of the Great Depression and World War II, his urbane, effete mannequins fell out of favor.
—Dan Avery, NBC News, 7 June 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
-
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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Salesforce shares fell in extended trading Wednesday on mixed quarterly results and weak guidance.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
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There aren’t enough affordable ones and the charging infrastructure is weak.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Every individual, sparrow or human, has masculine and feminine characteristics.—
Donna L. Maney,
Scientific American,
18 Feb. 2025
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Play with Proportions Choosing an oversized floral pattern can give the traditionally soft and feminine style an unexpectedly modern look.—
Maggie Gillette,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Active Time: 25 mins Total Time: 25 mins Servings: 8 Go ahead and print, save, or just memorize this decadent grits recipe.—
Liz Mervosh,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2025
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And Kelsey Earl’s small cottage business, Little Butter Bakery, which created a decadent brownie wreath for Gardner’s holiday party, set up the chocolate bar, a la the restaurant’s Ultra Chocolatta Bar.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Jobson, the college sophomore, fainted on deck, and Ward Weimar, the Dartmouth student, became too feeble to handle the wheel.—
David Wolman,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 Jan. 2025
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Breath fogs the air, ice slicks the roads, and the sun seems a distant, feeble glow in the winter sky.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes,
4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Others are naked and seemingly unaware of the viewer, cigarettes in hand and gazes soft.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN,
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 3 Mar. 2025.
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