1
: having no teeth
2
a
: lacking in sharpness or bite
spoke in toothless generalities—
Arthur Hepner
Arthur Hepner
b
: lacking in means of enforcement or coercion : ineffectual
Examples of toothless in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the law is toothless, imposing no punishment on lawmakers for missing the deadline.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 16 Sep. 2025
When workers are used as invisible inputs in opaque AI systems that determine hiring, promotions and surveillance protocols, their autonomy can be eroded—and traditional labor rights rendered toothless.
—James Felton Keith, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Sikorski also recalls how past security guarantees from both Russia and the U.S. in exchange for newly independent Ukraine's forfeiture of Soviet nuclear weapons in the 1990s ultimately proved toothless.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Critics of Cal-OSHA have called workplace investigations performed by letter toothless, because only in-person inspections can result in fines.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for toothless
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Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 16 Sep. 2025
When workers are used as invisible inputs in opaque AI systems that determine hiring, promotions and surveillance protocols, their autonomy can be eroded—and traditional labor rights rendered toothless.
—James Felton Keith, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Sikorski also recalls how past security guarantees from both Russia and the U.S. in exchange for newly independent Ukraine's forfeiture of Soviet nuclear weapons in the 1990s ultimately proved toothless.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Critics of Cal-OSHA have called workplace investigations performed by letter toothless, because only in-person inspections can result in fines.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for toothless
Cite this Entry
“Toothless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toothless. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
toothless
adjective
tooth·less
ˈtüth-ləs 
: having no teeth
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