mollycoddle

[mol-ee-kod-l]

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noun

a man or boy who is used to being coddled; a milksop.

verb (used with object), mol·ly·cod·dled, mol·ly·cod·dling.

to coddle; pamper.

Origin of mollycoddle

First recorded in 1825–35; Molly + coddle

Related formsmol·ly·cod·dler, noun

Synonyms for mollycoddle

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2. spoil, indulge, cosset.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for mollycoddle

fondle, pet, cosset, overindulge, dandle, caress, spoil, indulge, baby, coddle, overprotect

Examples from the Web for mollycoddle

Historical Examples of mollycoddle

Still, primarily, the Mollycoddle is a critic, not a man of action.
Appearances
Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson
But to the Mollycoddle she apportions dyspepsia and black bile.
Appearances
Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson
The Red-blood joins societies; the Mollycoddle is a non-joiner.
Appearances
Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson
The Mollycoddle engenders ideas, and the Red-blood exploits them.
Appearances
Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson
The Mollycoddle also despises the Red-blood, but he cannot do without him.
Appearances
Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson

British Dictionary definitions for mollycoddle

mollycoddle

verb

(tr) to treat with indulgent care; pamper

noun

a pampered person

Derived Formsmollycoddler, noun

Word Origin for mollycoddle

C19: from molly ² + coddle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mollycoddle

also molly-coddle, 1870, from a noun (1833) meaning "one who coddles himself," from Molly (pet name formation from Mary), which had been used contemptuously since 1754 for "a milksop, an effeminate man," + coddle (q.v.). Related: Mollycoddled; mollycoddling.