| English Dictionary |
TOOTHLESS
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| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does toothless mean?
• TOOTHLESS (adjective)
The adjective TOOTHLESS has 2 senses:
1. lacking teeth
2. lacking necessary force for effectiveness
Familiarity information: TOOTHLESS used as an adjective is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Lacking teeth
Context example:
a toothless old crone
Similar:
edental; edentate; edentulate (having few if any teeth)
edentulous (having lost teeth)
Antonym:
toothed (having teeth especially of a certain number or type; often used in combination)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Lacking necessary force for effectiveness
Context example:
a toothless piece of legislation
Similar:
ineffective; ineffectual; uneffective (not producing an intended effect)
Context examples
A light glimmered in each of his dull eyes, a tinge of colour came into his wax-like cheeks, and, opening his toothless mouth, he suddenly emitted a peculiar, bell-like, and most musical cry.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
"But of what worth to you and me? A few bones to gnaw in our toothless old age. But the back-fat, the kidneys, and the tongues—these shall go into other mouths than thine and mine, old man."
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
At the Five Fingers the dog-food gave out, and a toothless old squaw offered to trade them a few pounds of frozen horse-hide for the Colt’s revolver that kept the big hunting-knife company at Hal’s hip.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Do not hide like a fly under the tail of a horse." (Albanian proverb)
"The fisherman is the shark's friend." (Arabic proverb)
"The fox can lose his fur but not his cunning." (Corsican proverb)