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coddler

coddler

1 7.4
A person who gives someone too much care and makes them dependent
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒd.lər/
translation icon : mimoso
  • No balance of nurturing and guiding, but rather calling those who guide through tough lessons "harsh" or "brutal," while the other calls the one who nurtures and teaches acceptance of feelings a "molly coddler," which seeks to transform the populace from human into hive creatures that are easy to manipulate?

Examples

  • For taking every opportunity to paint those opposed to state-sanctioned torture as little more than terrorist coddlers or people whose position is not one of principle but one of moral preening.

    Blog text (12)
  • A piece of porcelain, an exquisite glass bowl, and Dresden egg coddlers for the breakfast table?

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And while the Tigers get to feel good for having an achieving (albeit possibly stressed and miserable) child, and the Coddlers get to feel like the Good Guy, neither approach is good for kids.

    Blog text (18)
  • The grandmother was known as a coddler, always giving her grandchildren candy and gifts.

  • Many parents today are criticized for being coddlers, constantly attending to their children's every need.

  • As a teacher, he was often seen as a coddler because he never scolded his students for the smallest mistakes.

Synonyms

spoiler
vscoddler
1 6.2

Someone who gives others too much and causes bad behaviour or dependence

focuses on excessive care and attention rather than long term behaviour harm
pamperer
vscoddler
1 7.0

A person who gives someone too much care and lets them have whatever they want

is identical in meaning but is a different lexical label
mollycoddler
vscoddler
9.9

A person who gives someone too much care and spoils them

is the same in meaning but uses a different word form
indulger
vscoddler
7.2

A person who lets children do what they want and gives them extra treats

focuses on giving excessive care rather than simply allowing wants

How Indulgent

coddler
1 7.4
spoiler
1 6.2

Surface Forms

coddler singular
coddler plural

Morphology

coddler = coddle (transparent) = coddle + er

Standard agentive noun formed from the verb 'coddle' with the productive suffix '-er', meaning 'one who coddles'.

Etymology

Coddler comes from the verb coddle, which once meant 'to cook gently' like a 'coddled egg'. So a coddler is someone who treats another person very gently and even spoils them.