cotton-wool
Raw fluffy fiber
Cotton-wool is the British term for what Americans call cotton balls or absorbent cotton—soft, fluffy fibers used for medical dressing, cosmetic application, or cleaning.
The figurative sense describes overprotective treatment: to wrap someone in cotton wool is to shield them excessively from life's hardships or dangers.
She accused her parents of wrapping her in cotton wool throughout childhood.
Absorbent cleaning implement
- gauzeOpen-weave medical fabric
- dressingSauce for salads
- bandageWound covering strip
- sterileFree from microorganisms
antiseptic · compress · surgical · padding · absorbent · plaster · clinic · ointment
Soft and light-textured
- downyHaving soft, fine texture
- plushThick-pile soft fabric
- cushionySoft and yielding
- pillowySoft and cushioned
fuzzy · feathery · spongy · velvety · silky · smooth · supple · pliable
Protective intermediate space
- cushioningSoftening force or fall
- paddingMaterial for cushioning
- insulationThermal transfer prevention
- wrappingOuter covering material
cocooning · shielding · safeguarding · swaddling · packing · lining · wadding · stuffing
swab
Absorbent cleaning implement
sterile · antiseptic · compress · surgical · padding · absorbent · plaster · clinic · ointment · disinfectant
fluffy
Soft and light-textured
pillowy · fuzzy · feathery · spongy · velvety · silky · smooth · supple · pliable · yielding
buffer
Protective intermediate space
- cushioningSoftening force or fall
- paddingMaterial for cushioning
- insulationThermal transfer prevention
wrapping · cocooning · shielding · safeguarding · swaddling · packing · lining · wadding · stuffing · nestling
fibrous
Made of threads
tangled · fleecy · airy · loose · stringy · puffy · clumped · pulled · teased · carded
overprotective
Guarding too zealously
pampered · shielded · insulated · naive · unworldly · mollycoddled · cosseted · indulged · spoiled · delicate
- fabric blendspolyester blend, silk blend, linen blend, nylon blend, cashmere blend
cotton-woolnylon
Synthetic textile polymer
polyfill · plastic · fiberglass · synthetic fiber · synthetic filling
cotton-woolsandpaper
Abrasive-coated finishing material
abrasive · steel wool · burlap · gravel · concrete
cotton-wooltough love
Beneficial strictness from affection
harsh reality · school of hard knocks · trial by fire · sink or swim · hard knocks
cotton, wool, cottons, cottony, wools, woolen, woolly, woolens, woollen