MOLLYCODDLE Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'mollycoddle' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mollycoddle are baby , humor , indulge , pamper , and spoil . While all these words mean "to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings," mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare. // refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

Q: In what contexts can 'baby' take the place of 'mollycoddle'?

The synonyms baby and mollycoddle are sometimes interchangeable, but baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude. // babying students by grading too easily

Q: When would 'humor' be a good substitute for 'mollycoddle'?

While in some cases nearly identical to mollycoddle , humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims. // humored him by letting him tell the story

Q: When might 'indulge' be a better fit than 'mollycoddle'?

In some situations, the words indulge and mollycoddle are roughly equivalent. However, indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires. // indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse

Q: When can 'pamper' be used instead of 'mollycoddle'?

Although the words pamper and mollycoddle have much in common, pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect. // pampered by the amenities of modern living

Q: Where would 'spoil' be a reasonable alternative to 'mollycoddle'?

The meanings of spoil and mollycoddle largely overlap; however, spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering. // foolish parents spoil their children

mollycoddle

verb

ˈmä-lē-ˌkä-dᵊl

Definition of mollycoddle next

as in to spoil

to treat with great or excessive care refused to mollycoddle her malingering son and sent him off to school

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How does the verb mollycoddle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mollycoddle are baby, humor, indulge, pamper, and spoil. While all these words mean "to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings," mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare.

refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

In what contexts can baby take the place of mollycoddle?

The synonyms baby and mollycoddle are sometimes interchangeable, but baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude.

babying students by grading too easily

When would humor be a good substitute for mollycoddle?

While in some cases nearly identical to mollycoddle, humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims.

humored him by letting him tell the story

When might indulge be a better fit than mollycoddle?

In some situations, the words indulge and mollycoddle are roughly equivalent. However, indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires.

indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse

When can pamper be used instead of mollycoddle?

Although the words pamper and mollycoddle have much in common, pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect.

pampered by the amenities of modern living

Where would spoil be a reasonable alternative to mollycoddle?

The meanings of spoil and mollycoddle largely overlap; however, spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering.

foolish parents spoil their children

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mollycoddle

Verb

And his two Super Bowls were against the New England Patriots, taking down Belichick and Tom Brady to spoil their perfect 2007 season and the 2011 campaign.

— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points, Jaylon Tyson had 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers used a big third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-99 and spoil LeBron James' return to Northeast Ohio.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026