toothless

Reader's Digest １０月号の記事The World is Not Falling Apartから引用します。
Many countries have implemented laws and public awareness campaigns to reduce rape, forced marriage, genital mutilation, honour killings, domestic violence, and wartime atrocities. Though some of these measures are toothless, and the effectiveness of others has yet to be established.
今日取り上げる単語 "toothless" の意味も文脈から容易に分かりますが、記事を書いた人が単に比喩とした使ったのか、 "toothless" が一般的にもこの様に役に立たない意味で使われるのか辞書で確認します。
・Oxford English Dictionary: Lacking genuine force or effectiveness: laws that are well intentioned but toothless
・Cambridge English Dictionary: used to describe an organization or a rule that has no power: This well-intentioned but toothless law will do nothing to improve the situation.
・Wiktionary: Weak, having no capability of enforcing something. The treaty was toothless in combatting climate change.
"toothless" のこの意味を覚えるのはいつか役に立つ気がします。