paper tiger
noun [C] disapprovingDefinition
› something, such as an enemy or foreign country, that seems very strong and dangerous but is really weak and not harmful: The Soviet Union was suddenly revealed as a paper tiger.Weakness and vulnerability
(Definition of paper tiger noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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Synonyms and related words:
- Achilles heel noun
- at a low ebb idiom
- be (only) flesh and blood idiom
- be sb's poodle idiom
- chink in sb's armour idiom
- faint adjective (SLIGHT)
- frailty noun
- impotence noun (LACK OF POWER)
- impotent adjective (LACKING POWER)
- indefensible adjective
- lax adjective
- man of straw noun (WEAK)
- susceptibility noun
- susceptible adjective (INFLUENCED)
- toothless adjective (NO POWER)
- underbelly noun
- unprotected adjective
- unsteady adjective
- vulnerable adjective
- wraith noun
Topic:
Weakness and vulnerability
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