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 texts of these new laws—which are heavily predicated on a kidfluencer’s willingness to sue his or her own parents—are at turns vague, confounding, and possibly toothless.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
The toothless man was white, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed roughly 112 pounds and had long gray hair that matched his beard and mustache.
—David Debolt, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
Second, the Montreal Protocol wasn’t a toothless treaty.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Clark is part of a toothless trend of late.
—Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for toothless
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
The toothless man was white, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed roughly 112 pounds and had long gray hair that matched his beard and mustache.
—David Debolt, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
Second, the Montreal Protocol wasn’t a toothless treaty.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Clark is part of a toothless trend of late.
—Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for toothless
Cite this Entry
“Toothless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toothless. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
toothless
adjective
tooth·less
ˈtüth-ləs 
: having no teeth
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
