mollycoddlers
Those who pamper
Mollycoddlers are people who treat others with excessive care or protection, shielding them from difficulty or discomfort.
The term carries a critical edge—mollycoddlers are seen as creating weakness in those they pamper: The coach dismissed the concerned parents as mollycoddlers who would ruin their kids' competitive spirit.
Overindulgent, protective treatment
- pamperingLavish attentive care
- babyingTreating as helpless
- smotheringDepriving of air
- hoveringSuspended without support
overprotecting · shielding · sheltering · cosseting · mothering · fathering · nursing · tending
Causing ruin or decay
- dotingExcessively affectionate toward
- pamperingLavish attentive care
- lenientTolerant of faults
- permissiveTolerant, lacking strictness
overindulgent · soft · humoring · gratifying · catering · yielding · accommodating · coddling
Becoming less strong
- softeningBecoming less firm
- enablingMaking something feasible
- excusingForgiving a transgression
- coddlingOverindulgent, protective treatment
namby-pamby · milksop · sissy · soft-touch · bleeding-heart · do-gooder · apologist · wet-nurse
Treating someone as inferior
- condescendingSuperior and dismissive manner
- babysittingCaring for others' children temporarily
- belittlingExpressing contempt or dismissiveness
- demeaningCausing loss of respect
underestimating · nannying · disempowering · stifling · minimizing · hand-holding · spoon-feeding · dumbing-down
coddling
Overindulgent, protective treatment
- pamperingLavish attentive care
- babyingTreating as helpless
- smotheringDepriving of air
hovering · overprotecting · shielding · sheltering · cosseting · mothering · fathering · nursing · tending · guarding
spoiling
Causing ruin or decay
permissive · overindulgent · soft · humoring · gratifying · catering · yielding · accommodating · coddling · fawning
weakening
Becoming less strong
coddling · namby-pamby · milksop · sissy · soft-touch · bleeding-heart · do-gooder · apologist · wet-nurse
patronizing
Treating someone as inferior
- condescendingSuperior and dismissive manner
- babysittingCaring for others' children temporarily
- belittlingExpressing contempt or dismissiveness
demeaning · underestimating · nannying · disempowering · stifling · minimizing · hand-holding · spoon-feeding · dumbing-down · undermining
mollycoddlersdisciplinarians
Enforcers of strict order
taskmasters · drill sergeants · tiger moms · hardliners · authoritarians
mollycoddlersslave drivers
Brutal work overseers
hardasses · tyrants · hard-noses · bullies · cold fish