rag doll

American  

noun

1. a stuffed doll, especially of cloth.

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rag doll Idioms  

1. A limp, ineffectual person, as in You won't get a decision from her; she's a rag doll when it comes to making up her mind. This expression transfers the limpness of a soft doll made from scraps of cloth to human behavior. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of rag doll

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Forlorn but oddly hopeful, Sally became the film’s most empathetic character, thanks in part to the depth that O’Hara lent to the sort-of animated rag doll.

From Los Angeles Times

Mrs. Thayer fell back in her chair, her head lolling on the pillow as if she were a rag doll.

From Literature

The word “empathy” gets thrown around like a rag doll.

From The Wall Street Journal

"You held him like a rag doll, didn't you," barrister Gordon Cole KC asked Ives.

From BBC

He recalls watching a mature Ash tree, which he estimates had grown over 60 feet tall, being "blown around like a rag doll".

From BBC