Effete is an adjective describing someone or something lacking in vitality, spirit, or strength; effeminate or pretentiously refined. It often conveys a sense of weakness, decadence, or ineffectiveness. The term is formal and slightly archaic, frequently used in critical or descriptive prose to signal a jaded or exhausted modern condition. In context, it may refer to institutions, systems, or individuals that seem exhausted or ineffectual.
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