Overpamper

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To provide remarkable levels of attention and comfort to someone that far exceed their actual needs
2. To give someone more care and attention than necessary, resulting in overindulgence
3. To treat another with undue leniency or generosity that surpasses reasonable limits

Etymology: "Overpamper" is a plain compound: the prefix "over-", meaning "excessively" or "too much," attached to "pamper." That is the whole of its construction, and the word is best understood by looking at what "pamper" itself has been carrying for centuries. "Pamper" is the older half, and its history is more colorful than the prefix. It is traced to a Middle English root associated with indulging or feeding someone well, and over time it took on the sense of spoiling a person through excessive kindness, food, or comfort. The prefix "over-" simply pushes that sense past the point of reasonable care, so to overpamper someone is to smother them with attention and luxury well beyond what they require.

Synonyms: spoil, pamper, indulge

Antonyms: neglect, deprive