Antonyms for effeteness


Grammar : Noun
Spell : ih-feet
Phonetic Transcription : ɪˈfit


Definition of effeteness

Origin :
  • 1620s, from Latin effetus (usually in fem. effeta) "exhausted, unproductive, worn out (with bearing offspring), past bearing," literally "that has given birth," from a lost verb, *efferi, from ex- "out" (see ex-) + fetus "childbearing, offspring" (see fetus). Figurative use is earliest in English; literal use is rare. Sense of "exhausted" is 1660s; that of "intellectually or morally exhausted" (1790) led to "decadent" (19c.).
  • As in feebleness : noun lack of strength; ineffectiveness
Example sentences :
  • In these things, he said, lay the greatness of America and the effeteness of England.
  • Extract from : « American Notes » by Rudyard Kipling
  • The effeteness of the Mother Country is about to be put to the proof.
  • Extract from : « Punch, or the London Charivari, May 6, 1914 » by Various
  • There was nothing to choose between them in the way of incompetence and effeteness.
  • Extract from : « A History of England » by Charles Oman
  • The Church had created art, had cherished it for centuries; and now by the effeteness of her sons she was cast into a corner.
  • Extract from : « The Cathedral » by Joris-Karl Huysmans

Synonyms for effeteness

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019