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Glite Dictionary
to cosseted by

to cosseted by

8.1
To be given a lot of care and attention by others so you become pampered
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : mimado por
  • She felt cosseted by the luxurious treatment at the spa, enjoying every moment of relaxation.

Examples

  • When regional unrest began, the Saudi government drew $36 billion from its reserves to fund a basket of pay raises, housing subsidies, and other benefits for a citizenry already well cosseted by state subsidies.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The child was cosseted by his grandparents, receiving endless gifts and attention.

  • Having been cosseted by his parents, he found it difficult to adapt to the challenges of adult life.

Synonyms

spoiled
vsto cosseted by
  • Offensive
33 2.7

A person, often a child, who behaves badly because they get too much attention or gifts

is about receiving a lot of care and indulgence without implying harm

How Indulgent

spoiled
  • Offensive
33 2.7
to cosseted by
8.1
cared-for
68 2.9

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

cosset + by

The meaning is directly compositional: 'cosset' means to pamper or overly care for, and 'by' marks the agent, so 'cosseted by her grandparents' clearly means pampered/indulged by them. This passive construction is a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to derive the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase cosseted by comes from the old word cosset, which meant a pet lamb that people treated gently and cared for like a baby. So, when someone is cosseted by others today, they are given a lot of care and often become 'pampered'.