: lacking in means of enforcement or coercion : ineffectual
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebSeveral activists who called into the remote meeting rejected that notion, calling the new policy a toothless reform that will simply provide cover for officers to continue abusing Black and Latino people. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2022 Andrew’s goofiness is too virtuous, too useful, to be annoying; his cantankerousness is too transparently toothless to be offensive. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 June 2022 My review doesn't even go into the toothless conflict established by a familiar-looking villain (who comes with a new 2022 twist). Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 16 June 2022 West's version looked like a toothless punchline in reruns. Darren Franich, EW.com, 5 Jan. 2022 Sometimes the talk is just lip service, to be sure, as toothless statements on company websites attest.New York Times, 8 June 2022 Experts don’t necessarily find that surprising: Per the statement, human remains recovered from two other cave sites in Chiapas in the last 40 years were similarly toothless. Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 May 2022 That is most likely because the marine reptiles were mostly toothless, filtering out and eating tiny creatures in the water similar to the way blue whales feed, Sander said.NBC News, 28 Apr. 2022 Baranski does her best to bring some Dowager-style snark to the party, but Fellowes’ barbs are mostly toothless.San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2022 See More