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Glite Dictionary
to cosset

to cosset

1 9.1
To give someone too much care and protection so they do not face problems
  • verb
  • /ˈkɑːsɪt/
translation icon : mimar
  • The moment she set foot within the perfumed inner sanctum, with its hushed music and thick-piled carpets, she felt cosseted, cherished, and, most of all, important.
  • the most-cosseted

But that being free with all its costs and all its consequences is always going to be preferable to being cosseted to being safe.

Examples

  • I wished that I could simply move in with her and be cosseted, as she had cosseted Lita.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • My brothers' wives scolded her for cosseting me; my aunt said I was lazy, ill-mannered, and strange.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • - And you can't cosset him...

    The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

  • "She smiled at him, remembering how Henry had cosseted her.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • He had the odd sensation of being displaced and cosseted, as if he had stepped into another's childhood.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The parents tended to cosset their only child, ensuring he never faced any hardships.

  • She felt the need to cosset her puppy, always giving it the softest blankets and the best toys.

  • His grandmother would cosset him after school, making sure he was always comfortable and happy.

Synonyms

to spoil
vsto cosset
70 3.7

To give a child too many gifts or freedoms, causing bad behavior

focuses on sheltering from discomfort rather than causing long term bad habits
to pamper
vsto cosset
42 3.7

To give someone too much care and special treatment

focuses on protection that avoids unpleasantness rather than just giving comfort
to indulge
vsto cosset
39 4.1

To let someone have whatever they want, often too much

leans more toward protecting from unpleasant experiences rather than permitting desires
to coddle
vsto cosset
37 6.4

Treat someone with too much care so they become less independent

is more about protecting from discomfort than simple pampering
to baby
vsto cosset
  • Informal
30 6.0

To treat someone with too much care and make things too easy for them

is about preventing unpleasant events rather than merely easing tasks
to overprotect
vsto cosset
1 5.1

Keep someone too safe so they do not face problems or learn to do things alone

focuses on protection that prevents any unpleasant experiences
to mollycoddle
vsto cosset
  • Archaic
1 9.3

To give someone too much care so they become weak

means protection that keeps someone from unpleasant experiences rather than kind care
to cocker
vsto cosset
  • UK
9.9

To give someone too much care or gifts so they do not learn to manage on their own

focuses on sheltering from unpleasant experiences rather than general indulgence
to featherbed
vsto cosset
  • Archaic
8.6

To give someone too much comfort so they do not learn

emphasizes protection from unpleasant events rather than just making life easy

Antonyms

neglect
100 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

How Indulgent

to spoil
70 3.7
to cosset
1 9.1
to pamper
42 3.7
to care for
347 1.0

Surface Forms

cosset infinitive
cosseted past
cosseted past participle
cosseting present participle
cossets third person singular

Etymology

The word cosset comes from an old word meaning 'pet lamb', so to cosset someone is to treat them like a small lamb you keep safe and spoil.