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
International bodies issued toothless statements of concern as Myanmar’s military reportedly burned entire villages, dropped bombs indiscriminately, and raped civilians.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
If officials can shield public business done on their personal devices by simply asserting that there’s no enforcement mechanism to get those records, then the 2016 law is essentially toothless.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
This toothless beauty grew up to receive countless accolades for her flawless songwriting and performances.
—Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Bahrain has seen anti-Israeli protests, and its toothless parliament passed a symbolic resolution about severing ties with Israel, but its regime has ignored all that.
—Gregg Carlstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024
Almost every other city board or commission is toothless when compared to the parks board, which uniquely has the power to hire and fire the parks director and decide where most parks funds are spent.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Decades of exempting Israel from international standards while pursuing empty and toothless talk of an unattainable two-state future has severely undermined the United States’ standing in the world.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
But landlords often have little incentive to address housing code violations under a D.C. enforcement system that can be lengthy and ultimately toothless insofar as compelling meaningful relief for tenants, council members and housing advocates say.
—Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023
Interspersing her piece with tales of her own (toothless) cat, Florence Meowmalade, Ho creates a delightful read.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 14 Feb. 2024
Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
If officials can shield public business done on their personal devices by simply asserting that there’s no enforcement mechanism to get those records, then the 2016 law is essentially toothless.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
This toothless beauty grew up to receive countless accolades for her flawless songwriting and performances.
—Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Bahrain has seen anti-Israeli protests, and its toothless parliament passed a symbolic resolution about severing ties with Israel, but its regime has ignored all that.
—Gregg Carlstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024
Almost every other city board or commission is toothless when compared to the parks board, which uniquely has the power to hire and fire the parks director and decide where most parks funds are spent.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Decades of exempting Israel from international standards while pursuing empty and toothless talk of an unattainable two-state future has severely undermined the United States’ standing in the world.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
But landlords often have little incentive to address housing code violations under a D.C. enforcement system that can be lengthy and ultimately toothless insofar as compelling meaningful relief for tenants, council members and housing advocates say.
—Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023
Interspersing her piece with tales of her own (toothless) cat, Florence Meowmalade, Ho creates a delightful read.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 14 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toothless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near toothless
Cite this Entry
“Toothless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toothless. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
toothless
adjective
tooth·less
ˈtüth-ləs 
: having no teeth
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