mollycoddle
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
The Mollycoddle, The Mark of Zorro, The Three Musketeers and Don Q Son of Zorro display a wit and a zest that shame most of today's bloated adventure films.
From Time Magazine Archive
But to the Mollycoddle she apportions dyspepsia and black bile.
From Appearances Being Notes of Travel by Dickinson, G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes)
Still, primarily, the Mollycoddle is a critic, not a man of action.
From Appearances Being Notes of Travel by Dickinson, G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes)
Whether a Mollycoddle will ever be produced strong enough to breathe the American atmosphere and live, is a crucial question for the future.
From Appearances Being Notes of Travel by Dickinson, G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes)
Not but what the Mollycoddle may act, and act efficiently.
From Appearances Being Notes of Travel by Dickinson, G. Lowes (Goldsworthy Lowes)
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.
