1
as in boiling
to cook in a liquid heated to the point that it gives off steam
a hearty, traditional breakfast that included coddled eggs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in spoiling
to treat with great or excessive care
accused the judiciary of coddling criminals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pampering
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of coddling
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Avoid over-coddling; instead, use play, treats, and touch to build confidence.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Ruth Oh Reitmeier, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Traditional romantic comedies often ask us to fall in love with, or at least be charmed by, Lucy or Julie, but neither film is keen on that kind of coddling.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
His Victor is the product of a coddling mother (Mia Goth), who dies young and leaves him emotionally adrift, and a domineering father (Charles Dance), who molds him into a brilliant but heedless inventor.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025
Trump has a habit of coddling enemies and abusing friends, neither of which serves our strategic interests.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
This followed Ryan Clark accusing the Lakers of coddling LeBron’s son, Bronny James, as he won’t be required to travel while on G League team The South Bay Lakers due to the squad flying commercial.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 21 Nov. 2024
In the snap, the dad of three, 39, can be seen focused on his phone in one hand while coddling a sleeping baby Lou in the other.
—Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Republicans have inveighed against progressive prosecutors after some have brought fewer drug possession cases and sought shorter prison sentences, arguing Democrats are coddling criminals.
—Jeff Amy, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
Those softies are going to get more coddling.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Avoid over-coddling; instead, use play, treats, and touch to build confidence.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
This is not about lowering expectations or coddling employees.
—Ruth Oh Reitmeier, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Traditional romantic comedies often ask us to fall in love with, or at least be charmed by, Lucy or Julie, but neither film is keen on that kind of coddling.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
His Victor is the product of a coddling mother (Mia Goth), who dies young and leaves him emotionally adrift, and a domineering father (Charles Dance), who molds him into a brilliant but heedless inventor.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025
Trump has a habit of coddling enemies and abusing friends, neither of which serves our strategic interests.
—Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
This followed Ryan Clark accusing the Lakers of coddling LeBron’s son, Bronny James, as he won’t be required to travel while on G League team The South Bay Lakers due to the squad flying commercial.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 21 Nov. 2024
In the snap, the dad of three, 39, can be seen focused on his phone in one hand while coddling a sleeping baby Lou in the other.
—Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Republicans have inveighed against progressive prosecutors after some have brought fewer drug possession cases and sought shorter prison sentences, arguing Democrats are coddling criminals.
—Jeff Amy, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coddling
Verb
-
Gently add the eggs to the rapidly boiling water.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The Watt steam engine once turned boiling water heat into motion.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Dylan O’Brien stans might have already seen Twinless, the movie that got leaked because his die-hards couldn’t resist spoiling a major scene from it out of Sundance.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Shelf-stable items are often the most plentiful in Burmese grocery stores in Milwaukee since they can be shipped across the world without refrigeration or concerns about spoiling.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Most people bring a pair of Crocs to wear around the campsite, but after long days on the trail, your feet could use some extra pampering.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Aug. 2025
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The art of pampering begins, and in some cases ends, with aesthetics.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
Architectural Digest,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
And, heck, even Friday, particularly with Travis Kelce indulging and inciting fans at Neo Quimica Arena with dance moves during warmups before the Chiefs took on the Los Angeles Chargers.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
This isn’t about indulging individual preferences, but rather maximizing human potential.—
Neil Henderson,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Conceivably one or two of them should have already been at Citi Field, but until finally summoning McLean to pitch Saturday, Stearns has been babying them in the minors.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
16 Aug. 2025
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However, some have criticized employer techniques for tracking in-office attendance as babying employees and demonstrating an unwarranted lack of trust.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from a torn ACL, and up until recently, Jauan Jennings had been nursing a calf issue.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Mission Viejo was playing without Miami committed receiver Vance Spafford, who is nursing an ankle injury.—
Michael Huntley,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coddling. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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