Padded or lined with soft material to absorb shock or provide comfort.
Past participle of 'cushion' (verb form emerged in the 16th century from the noun). Originally meant to provide with a cushion, now used metaphorically for any protective softening effect.
The word reveals how humans think about protection—we use 'cushioned' for everything from car seats to our retirement savings, showing how deeply the concept of soft protection shapes our thinking about safety.
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