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mollycoddle

noun
mol·​ly·​cod·​dle | \ ˈmä-lÄ“-ËŒkä-dᵊl How to pronounce mollycoddle (audio) \

Definition of mollycoddle

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a pampered or effeminate man or boy

mollycoddle

verb
mollycoddled; mollycoddling\ ˈmä-​lÄ“-​ËŒkäd-​liÅ‹ How to pronounce mollycoddling (audio) , -​ËŒkä-​dᵊl-​iÅ‹ \

Definition of mollycoddle (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to treat with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence and attention
Other Words from mollycoddle Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about mollycoddle

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Other Words from mollycoddle

Verb

mollycoddler \ ˈmä-​lÄ“-​ËŒkäd-​lÉ™r How to pronounce mollycoddler (audio) , -​ËŒkä-​dᵊl-​É™r \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for mollycoddle

Synonyms: Verb

baby, cocker, coddle, cosset, dandle, indulge, nurse, pamper, spoil, wet-nurse

Antonyms: Verb

abuse, ill-treat, ill-use, maltreat, manhandle, mishandle, mistreat, misuse

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Choose the Right Synonym for mollycoddle

Verb

indulge, pamper, humor, spoil, baby, mollycoddle mean to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings. indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires. indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect. pampered by the amenities of modern living humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims. humored him by letting him tell the story spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering. foolish parents spoil their children baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude. babying students by grading too easily mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare. refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

Did You Know?

Verb

Coddling eggs is delicate business. You need to cook them slowly and gently, keeping the water just below boiling. Given how carefully you need to treat the eggs, it's not surprising that coddle, the name for the cooking process, developed the figurative sense "to pamper." Mollycoddle was formed by combining coddle with molly, a nickname for Mary. In its earliest known uses in the 1830s, mollycoddle was a noun, a synonym of our modern wimp, but within 30 years it was being used as the verb you're likely to encounter now.

Examples of mollycoddle in a Sentence

Verb

 The coach has been mollycoddling the team's star players. refused to mollycoddle her malingering son and sent him off to school

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 Her poise is the result of a loving yet punctilious upbringing by parents determined that their fame and its accompanying perks were not going to mollycoddle their two children. — Michael Callahan, Town & Country, "Show Business Royalty Carys Zeta Douglas Is Ready for Her Close Up," 1 Aug. 2018 Both sides are mollycoddling their own predicaments with this talk. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "Pennsylvania election another reminder that winning - and not being close - is what matters," 15 Mar. 2018 This mollycoddled outdated practices, like harvesting by hand. — The Economist, "Nearly sweet nothingCaribbean sugar is close to a sticky end," 14 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mollycoddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of mollycoddle

Noun

1849, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1865, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for mollycoddle

Noun

Molly, nickname for Mary

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More Definitions for mollycoddle

mollycoddle

verb

English Language Learners Definition of mollycoddle

: to treat (someone) with more kindness and attention than is appropriate : to treat (someone) too nicely or gently

See the full definition for mollycoddle in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on mollycoddle

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with mollycoddle

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mollycoddle

Spanish Central: Translation of mollycoddle

Nglish: Translation of mollycoddle for Spanish Speakers

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