mollycoddle


Also found in: Thesaurus.

mol·ly·cod·dle

 (mŏl′ē-kŏd′l)
v.tr. mol·ly·cod·dled, mol·ly·cod·dling, mol·ly·cod·dles
To be overprotective and indulgent toward. See Synonyms at pamper.
n.
A person, especially a man or a boy, who is pampered and overprotected.

[molly, milksop (from Molly, nickname for Mary) + coddle.]

mol′ly·cod′dler n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mollycoddle

(ˈmɒlɪˌkɒdəl)
vb
(tr) to treat with indulgent care; pamper
n
a pampered person
[C19: from molly2 + coddle]
ˈmollyˌcoddler n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mol•ly•cod•dle

(ˈmɒl iˌkɒd l)

v. -dled, -dling,
n. v.t.
1. to coddle; pamper.
n.
2. a man or boy who is used to being coddled; a milksop.
[1825–35; molly, Molly an effeminate boy (generic use of the female given name) + coddle]
mol′ly•cod`dler, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

mollycoddle


Past participle: mollycoddled
Gerund: mollycoddling

Imperative
mollycoddle
mollycoddle
Present
I mollycoddle
you mollycoddle
he/she/it mollycoddles
we mollycoddle
you mollycoddle
they mollycoddle
Preterite
I mollycoddled
you mollycoddled
he/she/it mollycoddled
we mollycoddled
you mollycoddled
they mollycoddled
Present Continuous
I am mollycoddling
you are mollycoddling
he/she/it is mollycoddling
we are mollycoddling
you are mollycoddling
they are mollycoddling
Present Perfect
I have mollycoddled
you have mollycoddled
he/she/it has mollycoddled
we have mollycoddled
you have mollycoddled
they have mollycoddled
Past Continuous
I was mollycoddling
you were mollycoddling
he/she/it was mollycoddling
we were mollycoddling
you were mollycoddling
they were mollycoddling
Past Perfect
I had mollycoddled
you had mollycoddled
he/she/it had mollycoddled
we had mollycoddled
you had mollycoddled
they had mollycoddled
Future
I will mollycoddle
you will mollycoddle
he/she/it will mollycoddle
we will mollycoddle
you will mollycoddle
they will mollycoddle
Future Perfect
I will have mollycoddled
you will have mollycoddled
he/she/it will have mollycoddled
we will have mollycoddled
you will have mollycoddled
they will have mollycoddled
Future Continuous
I will be mollycoddling
you will be mollycoddling
he/she/it will be mollycoddling
we will be mollycoddling
you will be mollycoddling
they will be mollycoddling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been mollycoddling
you have been mollycoddling
he/she/it has been mollycoddling
we have been mollycoddling
you have been mollycoddling
they have been mollycoddling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been mollycoddling
you will have been mollycoddling
he/she/it will have been mollycoddling
we will have been mollycoddling
you will have been mollycoddling
they will have been mollycoddling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been mollycoddling
you had been mollycoddling
he/she/it had been mollycoddling
we had been mollycoddling
you had been mollycoddling
they had been mollycoddling
Conditional
I would mollycoddle
you would mollycoddle
he/she/it would mollycoddle
we would mollycoddle
you would mollycoddle
they would mollycoddle
Past Conditional
I would have mollycoddled
you would have mollycoddled
he/she/it would have mollycoddled
we would have mollycoddled
you would have mollycoddled
they would have mollycoddled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.mollycoddle - a pampered darling; an effeminate man
darling, dearie, deary, ducky, favorite, favourite, pet - a special loved one
Verb1.mollycoddle - treat with excessive indulgencemollycoddle - treat with excessive indulgence; "grandparents often pamper the children"; "Let's not mollycoddle our students!"
do by, treat, handle - interact in a certain way; "Do right by her"; "Treat him with caution, please"; "Handle the press reporters gently"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

mollycoddle

verb pamper, baby, ruin, pet, spoil, indulge, cosset, coddle He accused me of mollycoddling the children.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

mollycoddle

verb
To treat with indulgence and often overtender care:
noun
A person who behaves in a childish, weak, or spoiled way:
Idiom: mama's boy.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
mazánekrozmazlovat
rozpieścićrozpieszczać

mollycoddle

[ˈmɒlɪkɒdl] VTmimar, sobreproteger
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

mollycoddle

[ˈmɒlikɒdəl] vtchouchouter, couverMolotov cocktail [ˌmɒlətɒfˈkɒkteɪl] ncocktail m Molotov
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

mollycoddle

nWeichling m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

mollycoddle

[ˈmɒlɪˌkɒdl] vt (pej) → coccolare, vezzeggiare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in classic literature ?
Anybody'd think I was a girl--or a mollycoddle. Oh, Father," he exclaimed, as the door opened to admit a tall gray-eyed man.
A little older, a little colder: and already are they mystifiers, and mumblers and mollycoddles.
Talk about mollycoddles! Son, those same fellows would steal crusts from starving men and pull gold fillings from the mouths of corpses, yep, and squawk like Sam Scratch if some blamed corpse hit back.
While they mollycoddle him, Debbie opts for the tough-love approach, reminding Andy that he's got two young children who depend on him and telling him that suicide is the coward's way out.
and the Kop boss has made it clear to his men that it is not his job to mollycoddle them.
"We can mollycoddle children but it isn't ultimately going to benefit them.
PETE: All we can do is offer advice to our children, I certainly don't think we mollycoddle them, however you have to worry about them.
I've never been one to mollycoddle young players and I'm sure Nugent expects to be treated like any other professional.
People becoming more and more idle with an inability to walk from the car parks in the village, shopkeepers parking outside their own shops all day and finally the council's insistence on trying to mollycoddle the people from having to think for themselves.
"This is criminality, pure and simple, and it has to be confronted and defeated" Prime Minister David Cameron on the riots "I find it strange that we are willing to use these sort of measures against the Irish, yet when Englishmen step out of line and behave in this atrocious and appalling way, we are happy to mollycoddle them" Tory MP Patrick Mercer, calling for the use of water cannons against the rioters "Most people are robust.
Gabby Agbonlahor will not mollycoddle Villa's young guns.