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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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This mollycoddled outdated practices, like harvesting by hand.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
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This mollycoddled outdated practices, like harvesting by hand.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
-
Outside the Lineage warehouse Thursday morning, the smell of heavy smoke was already being replaced with that of spoiling food and filthy water.
-
Against Australia in the last 16, Argentina were again labouring when faced with an inferior opponent, digging in and determined to spoil their World Cup dreams.
Verb
-
The evidence suggests helping people with physical and cognitive limitations stay home costs states less than the alternative, which is nursing home care.
-
Christian Pulisic, nursing a calf injury, may not play, and several players with yellow cards (Folarin Balogun, Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards and Tyler Adams) likely won't see the field at all.
Verb
-
Onboard, guests can indulge at eight different restaurants, ranging in style from Pan-Asian and French to poolside pizza and a steakhouse.
-
Chris is a freelance journalist who, when not writing, skywatching, playing games or building Lego, indulges his taste for horror, sci-fi and the post-apocalyptic.
Verb
-
Asking for sportsbook revenue while simultaneously watering down the product and coddling rule-breakers with minor-league rehab is a terrible look.
-
They shouldn’t be coddled; instead, they should be challenged.
Verb
-
No one’s babying him (at Houston).
-
Could baby owls and eagles be the key to stopping the spread of bird flu?
Verb
-
Create Layers Gardens in shade often rely less on color and more on other attributes to please the eye.
-
The steeply descending main street of Haworth is filled with tea shops, pubs and stores clearly dedicated to pleasing Brontë pilgrims, but its basic form, including the original stationery store where the sisters once bought their paper, remains the same.
Verb
-
Although you are deeply held, Arrigo is not about pampering.
-
But a man in Scotland came up with an eye-popping plan to try to pamper his pooped peepers.
Cite this Entry
“Mollycoddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mollycoddle. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
