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 most of these details are toothless, or at least unactivated.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
But other than occasional, toothless critiques, American officials did nothing to stop Israel as settlers continued to encroach on Palestinian lands.
—Marwan Muasher, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2024
There are some more intense visuals here than others on this list, including someone vomiting bugs, a toothless old woman gnawing on a face, and, as the title suggests, a demon dragging people to hell.
—Dustin Nelson, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
The council also has 10 non-permanent members elected to two-year terms – but some feel toothless without veto privileges.
—Richard Roth, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024
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.
Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
But other than occasional, toothless critiques, American officials did nothing to stop Israel as settlers continued to encroach on Palestinian lands.
—Marwan Muasher, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2024
There are some more intense visuals here than others on this list, including someone vomiting bugs, a toothless old woman gnawing on a face, and, as the title suggests, a demon dragging people to hell.
—Dustin Nelson, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
The council also has 10 non-permanent members elected to two-year terms – but some feel toothless without veto privileges.
—Richard Roth, CNN, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for toothless
Dictionary Entries Near toothless
Cite this Entry
“Toothless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toothless. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
toothless
adjective
tooth·less
ˈtüth-ləs 
: having no teeth
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share