as in to spoil
to treat with great or excessive care
refused to mollycoddle her malingering son and sent him off to school
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Recent Examples of mollycoddle
You’re not mollycoddled during the week and are expected to act as any professional crew member would.
—
Helen Iatrou, Robb Report, 14 Sep. 2023
So football generally, and pro football specifically, helped reassure the country that American men were not mollycoddled softies.
—James Surowiecki, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2019
Koenig may have supported Bernie Sanders in 2016, but Sanders’s mollycoddling platform never approaches the real-life perplexities that Koenig — a pop poet — sings about.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Dec. 2019
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, 1 Aug. 2018
Both sides are mollycoddling their own predicaments with this talk.
—Chad Pergram, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2018
This mollycoddled outdated practices, like harvesting by hand.
—The Economist, 14 Dec. 2017
Helen Iatrou, Robb Report, 14 Sep. 2023
So football generally, and pro football specifically, helped reassure the country that American men were not mollycoddled softies.
—James Surowiecki, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2019
Koenig may have supported Bernie Sanders in 2016, but Sanders’s mollycoddling platform never approaches the real-life perplexities that Koenig — a pop poet — sings about.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Dec. 2019
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, 1 Aug. 2018
Both sides are mollycoddling their own predicaments with this talk.
—Chad Pergram, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2018
This mollycoddled outdated practices, like harvesting by hand.
—The Economist, 14 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mollycoddle
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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Harvey is nursing a right teres major strain and Long is dealing with left elbow inflammation.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
19 Apr. 2025
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New England Patriots Needs: RB, WR, O-line, OLB Penn State edge Abdul Carter: If Carter was not nursing a shoulder injury he would have been taken higher.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In any event, a square between the sun and your celestial ruler, Mars, on April 20, creates tension between your desire to indulge and have fun versus the reality of your financial responsibilities.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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The pet-friendly hotel indulges guests with a rooftop terrace, a library bar, and accommodations that range from cozy rooms to three-bedroom suites.—
Cameron Sperance,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In a test of her willpower, Janine struggles to continue subduing her innate need to coddle kids.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
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Please be real: Feeding children and coddling emotional disorders is absolutely within the purview of the parents, not our tax dollars.—
Martin Potters,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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While her older brother, Crown Prince Hussein, is the heir to the throne, Iman is not in the line of succession—and neither may her baby.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
24 Jan. 2025
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The sensitive child of the bunch doesn’t need to be babied.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
28 Nov. 2023
Verb
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Glasner refused to change his team significantly for fear of negative consequences, but he would have been pleased by Kamada and Justin Devenny’s impact.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
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Google struggled to find a solution that pleased everyone.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Guests can go to the spa and salon to get pampered.—
Sari Hitchins,
Parents,
11 Apr. 2025
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Related article British Airways reveals new A380 superjumbo first class seat design First-class pampering Board one of the few Lufthansa Airbus A350s with Allegris First Class and you are greeted by a nearly private cabin at the front of the plane.—
Edward Russell,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mollycoddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mollycoddle. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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