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effeteness

effeteness

9.9
A state of being weak, tired and no longer effective
  • noun
  • /ɪˈfɛtənəs/
  • Formal
translation icon : debilidad
  • The team's effeteness was evident in their inability to compete effectively against stronger opponents.

Examples

  • Congratulations on epitomizing ineffectuality and modern effeteness.

    Blog text (17)
  • Staying with the faintness of these memories represents the effeteness of romanticism, its pathology.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The liberalism, which in the news media is central, is generally absent (we almost never learn anything about movie professors' political beliefs), while the effeteness is central.

    Academic text (2007)
  • A few other flowers may be as sweet, but jasmine is sweet without sentiment, sweet without effeteness, sweet without compromise; it is aggressively sweet, outrageously sweet: "I am sweet," says the jasmine, "and if you don't like it, you can kiss my sweet ass."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Many criticized the government for its effeteness in addressing urgent social issues.

  • The writer's effeteness became apparent as he lost the drive and energy to create compelling narratives.

Synonyms

exhaustion
vseffeteness
78 3.6

Extreme physical or mental tiredness after hard work

includes this tiredness but also general weakening and lost effectiveness
weariness
vseffeteness
20 3.1

A strong feeling of being very tired in body or mind

covers that feeling plus longer term weakness and reduced effectiveness
lethargy
vseffeteness
12 6.3

A feeling of tiredness and low energy

is broader, highlighting both tiredness and loss of effectiveness
sluggishness
vseffeteness
4 4.4

A state of being slow and having little energy

is broader, stressing loss of strength and overall ineffectiveness
lassitude
vseffeteness
  • Formal
3 9.3

A feeling of being very tired and having little energy

is wider, applying also to absence of strength and effectiveness
prostration
vseffeteness
1 8.7

A sudden physical or mental collapse that happens from extreme tiredness

is broader, covering both sudden collapse and gradual loss of strength
feebleness
vseffeteness
1 4.8

A state of being physically weak because of age or illness

is broader, covering weakness plus exhaustion or loss of effectiveness
debility
vseffeteness
1 8.2

Weakness in the body that follows illness or old age

is wider, including exhaustion and reduced effectiveness beyond illness
enfeeblement
vseffeteness
1 9.1

A slow loss of strength in the body or mind

is similar but emphasizes both weakness and exhausted ineffectiveness
debilitation
vseffeteness
1 8.1

A serious loss of strength and energy that makes someone weak

is broader, adding temporary exhaustion and loss of effectiveness
torpidity
vseffeteness
1 9.9

A state of being inactive and lacking energy

focuses more generally on weakness and exhaustion rather than inactivity only
enervation
vseffeteness
9.1

A feeling of great weakness and tiredness

focuses more broadly on weakness, exhaustion, and reduced effectiveness
adynamia
vseffeteness
  • Specialized
9.9

A lack of energy and strength that often follows an illness

is broader, including general exhaustion and failing effectiveness
unfitness
vseffeteness
5.6

A poor physical condition from little exercise and unhealthy living

is not only poor condition but also includes exhaustion and weak effectiveness

Antonyms

1.2

Physical or mental power a person has to act

140 3.5

The ability to make something work as planned

29 4.3

Energy and liveliness that make a person or thing seem active

How Weak

effeteness
  • Formal
9.9
feebleness
1 5.2
weakness
133 1.4
fatigue
92 4.2
tiredness
10 1.0

Surface Forms

effeteness singular
effetenesses plural

Morphology

effeteness = effete (transparent) = effete + ness

Formed by the regular noun-forming suffix '-ness' added to the adjective 'effete', yielding the state or quality of being effete.

Etymology

Effeteness comes from Latin parts ex- ('out') and fetus ('to bring forth' or 'offspring'), so it originally meant something that had already produced and was used up. Imagine a field that has given its crops and is now empty and weak—this picture explains the idea. So, effeteness means being 'worn out' or no longer strong.