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
Granted, Nix was doing it against a toothless defense that allowed 48 points to backup quarterback Carson Wentz last week.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
Cincinnati believed Browning belonged in the conversation of the best 32 quarterbacks in this league, but through two weeks, an offense with Chase, Higgins, Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki and more has been toothless.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Adams’ tactics rendered the gag rule toothless and useless, prompting even six southern Congressmen to vote in favor of overturning it.
—Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Was that the liberal left or the toothless army who stormed the Capitol on January 6?
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2025
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.
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
Cincinnati believed Browning belonged in the conversation of the best 32 quarterbacks in this league, but through two weeks, an offense with Chase, Higgins, Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki and more has been toothless.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Adams’ tactics rendered the gag rule toothless and useless, prompting even six southern Congressmen to vote in favor of overturning it.
—Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Was that the liberal left or the toothless army who stormed the Capitol on January 6?
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 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 1 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
toothless
adjective
tooth·less
ˈtüth-ləs 
: having no teeth
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share