as in pampering
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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
2
as in spoiling
to treat with great or excessive care
accused the judiciary of coddling criminals
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Recent Examples of coddling
Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
The popularity and success of the Chiefs prior to the 2025 Super Bowl, led to countless complaints of favorable officiating and League coddling from disgruntled fans and hot take pundits.
—Emil Steiner, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The intense coddling and dysfunction within the family come to a head at the end of the show opener when a drunken Paul crashes a boat, killing his best friend’s girlfriend, Mallory (Madeline Popovich), and injuring all on board.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Avoid over-coddling; instead, use play, treats, and touch to build confidence.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Leisure bred laziness; coddling meant spoiling.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
His whole combo — coddling yet revering — makes clear how this hopeless estate chugged along for so long.
—Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2026
True American industrial strength rests on productivity, innovation, competition, and access to global supply chains, not on coddling producers behind walls of higher prices.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025
Campbell has accused the SCORE Act of disadvantaging these groups while coddling the NCAA.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Salicylic acid penetrates deep into the pores to dissolve away acne-causing debris, while coddling the skin barrier with a cocktail of ceramides and niacinamide.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
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
Noun
And the coddling doesn’t stop there.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
The popularity and success of the Chiefs prior to the 2025 Super Bowl, led to countless complaints of favorable officiating and League coddling from disgruntled fans and hot take pundits.
—Emil Steiner, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The intense coddling and dysfunction within the family come to a head at the end of the show opener when a drunken Paul crashes a boat, killing his best friend’s girlfriend, Mallory (Madeline Popovich), and injuring all on board.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Avoid over-coddling; instead, use play, treats, and touch to build confidence.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
Accordingly, accusations of coddling Communists threatened that relationship.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Leisure bred laziness; coddling meant spoiling.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
His whole combo — coddling yet revering — makes clear how this hopeless estate chugged along for so long.
—Theater Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2026
True American industrial strength rests on productivity, innovation, competition, and access to global supply chains, not on coddling producers behind walls of higher prices.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 25 Nov. 2025
Campbell has accused the SCORE Act of disadvantaging these groups while coddling the NCAA.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Salicylic acid penetrates deep into the pores to dissolve away acne-causing debris, while coddling the skin barrier with a cocktail of ceramides and niacinamide.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coddling
Noun
-
This tough, adaptable evergreen is hardy in USDA zones 4-9 and requires no pruning or pampering.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Because every caregiver deserves some pampering and TLC.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For an even deeper sweetness and flavor, oven roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Quinn got that blood boiling on a chilly Monday, powering a two-run homer over the left-center fence to spark the host Mustangs to a 9-4 nonconference win in a game that was moved to Chicago because of wet conditions at Oak Forest.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After Thursday’s game, Weaver faced questions from reporters as an obvious culprit in spoiling McLean’s masterpiece.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
More specifically — and without spoiling a story that piles the twists as high as the corpses — Pine's an ex-British soldier pulled from his porter duties and recruited to surveil a ruthless arms dealer, Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) staying at the hotel.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The novel is in many ways a string of dazzlingly deadpan and sharp observations about navigating the strange world of now, from predictive advertising to sugar babying to dead college friends.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The elder Junod gave off mixed messages, abusing his long-suffering wife while indulging his gifted son.—
Hamilton Cain,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
-
There’s a conversation for Nebraska worth indulging this spring.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
James, however, re-entered the Lakers’ lineup after sitting out Tuesday night’s blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder while nursing his left foot to remain fresh himself.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
10 Apr. 2026
-
He was loaded onto a truck and transported to SeaWorld Orlando, where staff would spend the next two months nursing him back to health.—
Ryan Brennan
April 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coddling. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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