kill with kindness

Save This Word!

See synonyms for kill with kindness on Thesaurus.com

Overwhelm or harm someone with mistaken or excessive benevolence. For example, Aunt Mary constantly sends Jane chocolates and cake and other goodies, even though she's been told Jane's on a diet—nothing like killing with kindness. This expression originated as kill with kindness as fond apes do their young (presumably crushing them to death in a hug) and was a proverb by the mid-1500s.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby kill with kindness

kill switch, kill the fatted calf, kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, kill-time, kill two birds with one stone, kill with kindness, Killy, Kilmarnock, Kilmer, kiln, kiln-dried

How to use kill with kindness in a sentence

Without it, they say, the disease would surely kill her within two years.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That ground hold was to stop you flying through weather that could kill you and everyone else aboard.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even a relatively small 250-pound bomb could kill or injure friendly troops who are within 650 feet of the explosion.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What responsibility was taken by cops when they kill unjustly?
Protesters Demand Justice For Gurley As Gap Grows Between Cops and NYC|M.L. Nestel|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

By the way, I saw Good Kill at Venice and really enjoyed it.
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange|Marlow Stern|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Am I not in France—gay, delightful France—partaking of the kindness and civility of the country?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
It was little better than coal dust, and would not carry a ball fifty paces to kill or wound.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
He could not bear to open his dreadful situation to his Uncle David, nor to kill himself, nor to defy the vengeance of Longcluse.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
At last his anxiety reached a point where he was positive that if he received an adverse decision, it would surely kill him.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
She was delighted by your brilliant talk and sense of humour, but still more delighted by your cordiality and kindness.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens

kill with kindness

Words nearby kill with kindness

Words related to kill with kindness

How to use kill with kindness in a sentence