Spoonfeed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To feed someone, especially a baby or helpless person, using a spoon ; to give someone information or knowledge in small, easily digestible portions without requiring independent thinking
2. To nourish with a spoon, typically when feeding infants or the infirm ; to supply facts or ideas gradually and simply, removing the need for active engagement or problem-solving
3. To deliver food to someone's mouth using a spoon ; to supply ideas, answers, or instruction in predigested form that requires no personal effort or intellectual work

Etymology: The verb "spoonfeed" is a compound of "spoon" and "feed", and its literal sense is exactly what the parts suggest: to feed someone by spooning food into their mouth, as one does with an infant or an invalid. That image has long been stretched into a figurative sense, to supply someone with information, help or answers so completely that they never have to work things out for themselves. The spoon half traces back to Old English "spōn", a wooden chip or splinter, which is a reminder that the utensil was once a shaped piece of wood. "Feed" comes from Old English "fēdan", meaning to nourish or give food to. Joined together, the compound describes a feeding done by hand, one mouthful at a time, which is why the figurative use carries a faint note of condescension: the person being spoonfed is treated as incapable of feeding themselves.

Synonyms: spoon-feed, hand-feed, coddle, pamper

Antonyms: challenge, test