mollycoddle

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈmɑliˌkɑdəl/ UK /ˈmɒlikɒdəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to treat with excessive indulgence or overprotectiveness

His parents mollycoddled him so much that he never learned to cope alone.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to treat with excessive... pamper coddle indulge spoil baby overprotect

Opposites

neglecttoughendiscipline

Word family

Derived forms mollycoddlermollycoddling

Etymology

A 19th-century compound of Molly (a pet form of Mary, used to mean an effeminate man) + coddle ('to treat tenderly'); coddle is of uncertain origin, perhaps related to caudle ('a warm drink for invalids').

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# mollycoddle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈmɑliˌkɑdəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmɒlikɒdəl/

## Meanings
1. to treat with excessive indulgence or overprotectiveness

## Examples
- His parents mollycoddled him so much that he never learned to cope alone.

## Synonyms
- pamper
- coddle
- indulge
- spoil
- baby
- overprotect

## Antonyms
- neglect
- toughen
- discipline

## Derived Forms
- mollycoddler
- mollycoddling

## Etymology
A 19th-century compound of Molly (a pet form of Mary, used to mean an effeminate man) + coddle ('to treat tenderly'); coddle is of uncertain origin, perhaps related to caudle ('a warm drink for invalids').

## AI Etymology
Mollycoddle is a 19th-century compound of Molly (a pet form of Mary, used to mean an effeminate man) + coddle ('to treat tenderly'); coddle is of uncertain origin, perhaps related to caudle ('a warm drink for invalids'). The same word family includes mollycoddler, mollycoddling. Its current verb use means "to treat with excessive indulgence or overprotectiveness".

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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