paper tiger

pa·per ti·ger

P p

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [pey-per tahy-ger]
- /ˈpeɪ pər ˈtaɪ gər/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [pey-per tahy-ger]
- /ˈpeɪ pər ˈtaɪ gər/

Definitions of paper tiger words

noun paper tiger a person, group, nation, or thing that has the appearance of strength or power but is actually weak or ineffectual. 1
countable noun paper tiger If you say that an institution, a country, or a person is a paper tiger, you mean that although they seem powerful they do not really have any power. 0
noun paper tiger a nation, institution, etc, that appears powerful but is in fact weak or insignificant 0
noun paper tiger a person, nation, etc. that seems to pose a threat but is actually ineffective or powerless 0

See all 4 definitions of paper tiger

Information block about the term

Origin of paper tiger

First appearance:

before 1945

One of the 6% newest English words

First recorded in 1945-50

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Paper tiger

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Paper tiger

paper tiger popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 42% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 61% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

paper tiger usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for paper tiger

adj paper tiger

chicken-hearted — easily frightened; cowardly
cowardly — If you describe someone as cowardly, you disapprove of them because they are easily frightened and avoid doing dangerous and difficult things.
impotent — not potent; lacking power or ability.
in-effective — not effective; not producing results; ineffectual: ineffective efforts; ineffective remedies.
infecund — not fecund; unfruitful; barren.

noun paper tiger

man of straw — straw man.

adjective paper tiger

cowhearted — cowardly.
forceless — Without force.

All 9 Synonyms of paper tiger