as in spoiling
to treat with great or excessive care
the college president is a past master at dandling wealthy alumni
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Recent Examples of dandling
The tale is pilfered from the Aeneid, but Virgil would blench to see the curtain rise on Jupiter, dandling Ganymede, a beautiful boy, upon his knee.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dandling
Verb
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But Ryan put the game away with a 7-0 spurt, spoiling Glenn's first trip to the state finals.—
Rick Cantu,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
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South Florida’s bar scene is constantly spoiling us.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Denver was nursing a 93-86 lead into the fourth when Doncic banked a circus 3-pointer while falling into the stands.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
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Holmgren tied a career high with six 3-pointers and Lu Dort added 16 points for the Thunder, who recovered after the Knicks took the lead with a 40-point third quarter, going back ahead early in the fourth and nursing a small advantage the rest of the way.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The elder Junod gave off mixed messages, abusing his long-suffering wife while indulging his gifted son.—
Hamilton Cain,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
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There’s a conversation for Nebraska worth indulging this spring.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On the first floor are some of the swishest quarters, with large rooms that benefit from floor-to-ceiling sash windows framed with thick, fringed curtains, original cornicing, cosseting color schemes of blue and rust, and large, comfy lounge areas with plenty of space to stretch out.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
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
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There’s no spa or pool (yet), but deeply pampering in-room treatments can be arranged.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
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In Paris, every self-pampering detail—naturellement—is honed to perfection.—
Hannah Seligson,
Vanity Fair,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Leisure bred laziness; coddling meant spoiling.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Dandling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dandling. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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