bubble-wrapped

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Packed or covered in sheets of plastic filled with small air pockets, so that a fragile object will not be damaged in transit.

   Grammar: Usually sits before the noun: a bubble-wrapped vase. After a verb it works as a participle: the vase arrived bubble-wrapped.

   Patterns

   • bubble-wrapped something
   • something is bubble-wrapped

   The bubble-wrapped lamp survived the long trip across the country without a scratch.

   She carried the bubble-wrapped paintings out to the van one at a time.

   Everything in the box was bubble-wrapped, even the spoons.

2. 2adjectivecomparableinformalfigurativedisapproving

   Protected so carefully from risk, difficulty or discomfort that the person never learns to cope with ordinary setbacks.

   Grammar: Describes a person or a way of life: a bubble-wrapped child. It can also follow a linking verb: he was bubble-wrapped from birth.

   Patterns

   • a bubble-wrapped childhood
   • feel bubble-wrapped

   Critics say today's bubble-wrapped kids never get to climb a tree or scrape a knee.

   He grew up bubble-wrapped, and the first real failure at university hit him hard.

   I don't want my daughter to be bubble-wrapped; she needs to make her own mistakes.

Common combinations

bubble-wrapped childhood

Her bubble-wrapped childhood left her nervous about taking even small chances.

bubble-wrapped generation

Some columnists blame a bubble-wrapped generation for the rise in anxiety.

carefully bubble-wrapped

The carefully bubble-wrapped glasses were stacked in the crate.

arrive bubble-wrapped

The ornaments arrived bubble-wrapped and tucked into foam.

bubble-wrapped parenting

Bubble-wrapped parenting, he argued, treats every playground as a danger zone.

Synonyms and how they differ

overprotected

Overprotected is the neutral, serious word for the idea, while bubble-wrapped is a more colorful, casual image.

mollycoddled

Mollycoddled stresses being spoiled and fussed over, whereas bubble-wrapped stresses being shielded from risk.

sheltered

Sheltered is gentler and can be neutral, describing someone kept away from harsh experiences without implying blame.

cushioned

Cushioned suggests softened impact and fits things or circumstances better than it fits a person's whole upbringing.

Opposites

Word family

bubble wrap noun

the plastic packing sheet with air pockets

bubble-wrap verb

to cover something in that sheet, or figuratively to overprotect someone

bubble noun

a small pocket of air in a liquid or plastic

wrap verb

to cover something by folding material around it

Commonly confused: bubble-wrapped or bubble-wrap (verb)?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “bubble-wrapped”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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