mollycoddle
Spoil with overprotection
To mollycoddle is to treat someone with excessive care or protection, shielding them from difficulty or discomfort: Stop mollycoddling the boy—he needs to learn to handle things himself.
The word carries disapproval, implying the coddling produces weakness.
As a noun, a mollycoddle is a pampered or effeminate person, though this use is dated.
Very young child
- smotherDeprive of air
- hoverRemain suspended midair
- helicopterRotary-wing aircraft
- overindulgePartake to excess
fuss · dote · mother · nanny · shield · suffocate · babying · cosseting
Damage or overindulge
- indulgeSatisfy a craving
- pamperIndulge excessively
- treatSomething pleasantly special
- caterSupply food professionally
pander · gratify · humor · appease · placate · accommodate · pet · caress
Reduce in strength
- enfeebleMake feeble or frail
- effeminateMale seeming feminine
- emasculateDeprive of power
- unmanDeprive of courage
sissify · soften · spoonfeed · handfeed · namby-pamby · milksop · wuss · weakling
baby
Very young child
- smotherDeprive of air
- hoverRemain suspended midair
- helicopterRotary-wing aircraft
overindulge · fuss · dote · mother · nanny · shield · suffocate · babying · cosseting · smothering
spoil
Damage or overindulge
cater · pander · gratify · humor · appease · placate · accommodate · pet · caress · lavish
weaken
Reduce in strength
- enfeebleMake feeble or frail
- effeminateMale seeming feminine
- emasculateDeprive of power
unman · sissify · soften · spoonfeed · handfeed · namby-pamby · milksop · wuss · weakling · marshmallow
caregiver
One providing daily assistance
nurture · tend · nurse · rear · guardian · upbringing · parenting · cultivate · support · protect
- old insultsknave, varlet, scoundrel, rogue, blackguard
- overparentinghelicopter parenting, helicopter parent, overprotective, overprotection, overprotecting
- cowardscoward, chicken, wimp, milquetoast, poltroon
mollycoddletoughen up
Become less easily hurt
harden · discipline · challenge · restrain · push
mollycoddles, mollycoddlers, mollycoddled, mollycoddling, mollycoddler