mollycoddler

9.9

A person who gives someone too much care and spoils them

noun
/ˈmɑliˌkɒdələr/

: mimoso

Her parents are such mollycoddlers that they still do her laundry even though she is an adult.

Examples

The teacher warned that being a mollycoddler could prevent students from developing independence.
Many people believe that being a mollycoddler can hinder a child's ability to face challenges later in life.
And he's not alone on my list of progressive mollycoddlers...

Blog text (15)

Synonyms

spoiler

vsmollycoddler

1 6.2

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

focuses on care and attention rather than giving desired things

pamperer

vsmollycoddler

1 7.0

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

is the same meaning but a different word form

coddler

vsmollycoddler

1 7.4

A person who gives someone too much care and makes them dependent

is the same meaning but another word form

indulger

vsmollycoddler

7.2

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

is about active giving of care and attention rather than passive letting

How Indulgent

mollycoddler

9.9

caretaker

60 1.9

disciplinarian

11 6.6

Surface Forms

mollycoddler singular

mollycoddlers plural

Morphology

mollycoddler = mollycoddle (semi-transparent) = molly + coddle + er

The agentive formation ('-er') from 'mollycoddle' is transparent, but the compound 'mollycoddle' contains 'molly', which does not contribute a clear semantic component for learners.

Etymology

Mollycoddler comes from the common name Molly and the word coddle, which means 'to treat very gently' and is also used for cooking an egg 'softly boiled'. So a Mollycoddler is someone who pampers or spoils another person by giving too much care.