toothed

toothed — adjective

1. having natural teeth or tooth-like projections — used for animals, fossils, or b

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

having natural teeth or tooth-like projections — used for animals, fossils, or body parts in scientific descriptions.

Example

Fossil records show that this ancient fish had a well‑toothed jaw.

specialist register: biological/paleontological context

Dr. Femi examined the toothed beak of the extinct bird under a microscope.

Common collocations
  • toothed jaw
  • toothed beak
  • toothed predator
  • toothed whale
  • toothed structure
Synonyms
  • serrated

    describes a blade or edge with saw-like notches, not whole teeth

  • jagged

    describes a rough, uneven edge but not specifically dental structures

  • notched

    implies V‑shaped cuts rather than full tooth-like projections

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

toothed + noun

Usage Note

This sense appears mainly in technical or scientific writing (biology, palaeontology, anatomy). Outside specialist contexts, the compound-pattern sense (sense 2) is far more common in everyday English.

Common Mistakes

Use a toothed comb on your hair.
Use a fine-toothed comb on your hair.
everyday use of 'toothed comb' without a modifier sounds unnatural; the compound fine-toothed comb is the standard expression.

2. combined with a describing word to show that a person, animal, or object has tee

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

combined with a describing word to show that a person, animal, or object has teeth of a specific appearance, arrangement, or function.

Example

The old man's gap‑toothed smile made him look friendly and approachable.

compound: gap‑toothed + smile (describing spaces between teeth)

A fine‑toothed comb is useful for removing lice and nits from children's hair.

set phrase: fine‑toothed comb — a comb with closely spaced teeth

Common collocations
  • gap‑toothed smile
  • buck‑toothed teenager
  • fine‑toothed comb
  • sharp‑toothed grin
  • razor‑toothed creature

Grammar Patterns

modifier + toothed (e.g. buck‑toothed, gap‑toothed, fine‑toothed, sharp‑toothed)

Usage Note

Almost always appears as the second part of a compound adjective. The first part describes the shape (gap‑toothed, buck‑toothed), the size (fine‑toothed, small‑toothed), or a comparison (razor‑toothed, needle‑toothed, knife‑toothed). Do not use toothed alone to describe a person's dental appearance — use a compound instead.

Common Mistakes

He has a toothed smile.
He has a gap‑toothed smile.
'toothed smile' without a modifier is not idiomatic; use a compound like gap‑toothed or buck‑toothed.

Word family

  • tooth
    nounA1
  • toothless
    adjectiveB2
  • toothy
    adjectiveB1
  • teethe
    verbC1
  • teething
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe edges or surfaces with projecting points, but they differ in shape and context. Toothed (specialist sense) specifically refers to structures that resemble or contain teeth — a toothed jaw or toothed beak. Serrated is used for blades or edges cut with saw‑like notches, such as a serrated knife for bread. Jagged describes a rough, irregularly torn edge — like a jagged piece of broken glass — and does not imply a repeated pattern. Notched refers to V‑shaped cuts made deliberately, as in a notched stick used for counting. Barbed describes backward‑facing points designed to snag or grip, such as barbed wire or a barbed fishhook. In everyday contexts, serrated and jagged are far more common than toothed. Example: 'The fisherman used a serrated blade to cut the line.' 'A jagged rock tore his wetsuit.' 'The notched tally stick recorded each day of the voyage.' 'Barbed hooks made the catch impossible to shake loose.'

toothed ↗serratedjagged ↗notchedbarbed

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • fine‑toothed comb (set phrase)
  • gap‑toothed smile
  • razor‑toothed creature

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Formed from the noun tooth (from Old English tōþ, from Proto‑Germanic *tanþs, from the Proto‑Indo‑European root *h₃dónts 'tooth') plus the adjective‑forming suffix ‑ed, meaning 'having or provided with'. The core meaning 'having teeth' dates back to Old English (tēþede). The modern use in compounds (gap‑toothed, fine‑toothed) emerged in the 16th–17th centuries as English began forming descriptive adjectives from concrete nouns.