spoon-fed
[spoon-fed]
- fed with a spoon.
- treated with excessive solicitude; pampered.
- given no opportunity to act or think for oneself: Having always been spoon-fed, I couldn't meet the challenge of college.
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Origin of spoon-fed
First recorded in 1900–05
spoon-feed
[spoon-feed, -feed]
- to cause to be spoon-fed.
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Origin of spoon-feed
First recorded in 1605–15
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for spoon-fed
Contemporary Examples
The conclusions of the advisory report were spoon-fed to a friendly group of Japanese political reporters two days ago.
Japanese Women Tell Their Men They Have to Choose Between Love and WarJake Adelstein, Angela Erika Kubo
May 14, 2014
Drudge simply “reported” on that fact—or rather was spoon-fed it by disgruntled internal sources.
Do American movie-going audiences in 2012 really need to be spoon-fed a justification for the killing of Osama bin Laden?
Historical Examples
They want to be spoon-fed and patted on the back when they choke.
Ireland as It IsRobert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)
Accustom people to be nose-led and spoon-fed, and democracy is a mere pretence.
Another SheafJohn Galsworthy
She did not soil any more, but she sometimes drooled and had to be spoon-fed.
Benign StuporsAugust Hoch
It was difficult to get her to eat, and she had to be spoon-fed.
Benign StuporsAugust Hoch
She had to be spoon-fed at times, again she ate naturally when the food was brought.
Benign StuporsAugust Hoch
spoon-feed
- to feed with a spoon
- to overindulge or spoil
- to provide (a person) with ready-made opinions, judgments, etc, depriving him of original thought or action
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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