toothy smile

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A smile that shows a lot of teeth, often a wide and cheerful one.

   Grammar: Countable: a toothy smile, two toothy smiles. The adjective 'toothy' usually comes before 'smile'.

   Patterns

   • a toothy smile
   • give someone a toothy smile
   • with a toothy smile

   She greeted us with a big toothy smile.

   His toothy smile made everyone feel welcome.

   The photo shows a child with a bright, toothy smile.

2. 2nouncountabledisapproving

   A smile that shows many teeth and may look forced or insincere.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with words like 'fixed' or 'fake' to show it is not genuine.

   Patterns

   • a fixed toothy smile
   • a fake toothy smile
   • flash a toothy smile

   He gave a fixed toothy smile and shook hands with the interviewer.

   Her toothy smile did not reach her eyes, so I knew she was nervous.

Word forms

Common combinations

a big toothy smile

The baby gave me a big toothy smile.

a wide toothy smile

He welcomed us with a wide toothy smile.

flash a toothy smile

She flashed a toothy smile for the camera.

a toothy grin

He had a toothy grin that made him look mischievous.

Synonyms and how they differ

grin

A grin is a wide smile that often shows teeth, but it can suggest mischief or effort; a toothy smile is usually about showing many teeth.

beam

A beam is a very happy, radiant smile; a toothy smile may be happy or forced.

Opposites

Word family

toothy adjective

Showing a lot of teeth, as in a toothy grin.

tooth noun

One of the hard white objects in the mouth.

Commonly confused: toothy smile or toothsome?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “toothy smile”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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