toothlessness

noun — 2 senses

toothlessness

noun

Etymology From toothless + -ness.

1

The state or condition of being toothless; lack of teeth.

  • Near-synonyms: anodontia, edentulism
2

Figuratively The state of being weak, of having no capability of enforcing something.

  • She denounced the treaty's toothlessness in combatting climate change.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.