mollycoddle
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have mollycoddledperfect
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has mollycoddledperfect 3rd person singular
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have been mollycoddlingperfect progressive
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am mollycoddlingprogressive 1st person singular
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mollycoddlessingular 3rd person
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are mollycoddlingprogressive
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has been mollycoddlingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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mollycoddlingparticiple
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is mollycoddlingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had mollycoddledperfect
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had been mollycoddlingperfect progressive
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were mollycoddlingprogressive plural
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mollycoddledparticiple
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was mollycoddlingprogressive singular
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mollycoddledsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of mollycoddle
First recorded in 1825–35; Molly (a female name used in the sense “effeminate man”) + coddle
Explanation
Mollycoddle means to spoil or overindulge something. You can think of mollycoddle as an extreme form of coddle. If you constantly fuss over your dog and serve her homemade food while she's resting on a soft feather bed, you mollycoddle her. Mollycoddle began as a noun describing a man who pampered or indulged himself too much. When applied to men, Molly, the woman's name, was a slur meaning "too feminine." No longer just for men, the verb mollycoddle describes any kind of excessively indulgent or overprotective treatment. A coach may mollycoddle his star player by planning practice around his schedule, or you may mollycoddle your little sister by doing her homework for her when she says she's tired.
Vocabulary lists containing mollycoddle
The Downstairs Girl
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Spooked
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Savvy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For all the female agency on display, Barbie still has to placate and mollycoddle the insecure Ken.
From Salon • Jul. 19, 2023
Molly Roberts, true to her name, didn’t mollycoddle the baby boomer generation in her Nov. 6 Wednesday Opinion column, “OK, boomer. The kids are fighting back.”
From Washington Post • Nov. 8, 2019
Sinclair’s novel is told from the perspective of Peter, “a patriot of patriots, a super-patriot; Peter was a red-blooded American and no mollycoddle; Peter was a ‘he-American’, a 100% American ...
From The Guardian • Apr. 21, 2018
That may annoy European bankers, but is hardly a reason to mollycoddle them.
From Economist • Oct. 15, 2015
"No one could ever accuse you of being a mollycoddle, Mr. Barker."
From Just Around the Corner Romance en casserole by Hurst, Fannie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
