paper tiger

Noun

Meaning

the nature of a person or organization that appears powerful but is actually powerless and ineffectual

Source: WordNet

Alternative names

paper-tiger

Synonyms

chicken hawk chickenhawk nation without authority armchair warrior armchair strategist big cat with no teeth empty barrel that makes the loudest noise harmless person little risk minimum risk person without authority powerless nation not a real danger not a real threat weak enemy
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Antonyms

combatant true threat active warrior agile gazelle brave warrior real danger
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Hypernyms

impotence impotency powerlessness

Examples

he reminded Mao that the paper tiger had nuclear teeth Source: Internet

Where was Bill Burr: Paper Tiger filmed? Source: Internet

EU audit reform reduced to 'paper tiger' Source: Internet

Faced with the empowered military and political Sunni Arab bloc, which is stronger than Iran, the Iranian regime backs down, revealing itself as a paper tiger. Source: Internet

Since then, the human rights commission has been nothing more than a paper tiger with its recommendations often ignored by the previous governments. Source: Internet

This is not “free trade” as the textbooks describe it, but a highly effective mercantilist strategy, one which Washington has allowed to be sustained on the basis of a bogus threat from a paper tiger. Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms

paper tapestry paper the house paper ticket paper towel paper toweling paper town