dote
DOHT
/doʊt/
To show uncritical, excessive affection or fondness for someone.
Usually followed by 'on' or 'upon'; highlights lavish, indulgent affection that ignores defects.
The story behind the word. Traced to Middle English 'doten', meaning to be foolish or feeble in mind. Loving someone so much that you overlook all faults made people think of 'doting' as a benign, foolish indulgence.
Word relationships
- pamper: Pamper focuses on physical comfort and spoiling, whereas dote emphasizes the emotional affection behind the spoiling.
- coddle: Coddle implies overprotective treatment that might weaken someone, while dote is simply loving excessively.
- scold: Scold means to reprimand or criticize sharply.
- mistreat: Mistreat means to treat badly or abusively.
Commonly confused with
- dot: A dot is a small round mark, whereas dote means to lavish affection.
Word family
- doting (adjective): Extremely fond and indulgent.
- dotingly (adverb): In an excessively fond manner.
- dotage (noun): Feebleness of mind in old age.
Collocations
- dote on
- dote upon
- doting parent
Idioms & expressions
- doted on hand and foot
Example sentences
- "Grandparents often dote on their grandchildren, spoiling them with treats and endless patience." Family relationships
- "She dotes on her elderly cat, preparing special meals for it every evening." Pet care
Memory hook
A Doting parent Notes every cute thing their child does. Loving without seeing any faults.
When not to use
Do not use when describing harsh criticism or strictly balanced relationships.
Fun facts
- The related noun 'dotage' refers to old age feebleness, showing how closely foolishness and affectionate indulgence were historically linked.
Related words
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