paper tiger

plural paper tigers

1. idiomaticSomething or someone that appears powerful, strong or threatening but is in reality weak, ineffective, or unable to withstand challenge.

   Trump also said Russia’s economy was in big trouble and described its military as a “paper tiger”.

   2025 September 27, Luke Harding, “Putin preparing to attack another European country, Zelenskyy says”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 05 Nov 2025

   2 more examples

   The League of Nations was by this time scarcely even a paper tiger, devoid of credibility since its divisions and pusillanimity had been so clearly laid bare following Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia in the autumn of 1935.

   2008 August 23, Ian Kershaw, “The twisted road to war”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 05 Jun 2023

   Iran is a paper tiger, a postmodern threat: It has many uses but a third Western war against a Muslim country is a bridge too far.

   2010 October 11, Roger Cohen, “Iran, the Paper Tiger”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 11 Feb 2021

   Synonyms: sheep in wolf's clothing · Antonyms: wolf in sheep's clothing