overkindness
1
6.8
A habit of being too helpful that lets others take advantage
- noun
- /ˌoʊvərˈkaɪndnəs/
:
excesiva amabilidad
- Many people appreciated her overkindness, but she sometimes neglected her own needs.
Examples
-
Your overkindness doth wring tears from me.
-
Her overkindness towards the stray cat led her to adopt it and bring it home.
-
His overkindness in always giving gifts made his friends feel uncomfortable at times.
Antonyms
How Kind
Surface Forms
overkindness singular
overkindnesses plural
Morphology
overkindness = overkind (transparent) = over + kind + ness
The noun is formed by standard suffixation (-ness) from the adjective 'overkind', and 'overkind' itself is a transparent combination of 'over-' + 'kind'.
Etymology
The word overkindness is made of over- ('too much'), kind ('nice or helpful') and -ness ('the state or quality of something'). So, overkindness is the 'state of being too nice', which is why we use it for kindness that goes beyond what helps and can become a problem.