Dictionary

indulge en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒ/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Latin indulgeō (“to indulge”).

Meanings

1. (followed by "in", intransitive, often) To yield to a temptation or desire.
   • He looked at the chocolate but didn't indulge.
   • I indulged in drinking on the weekend.
   • How can the unions - or more specifically the RMT - possibly think this is a good time to exert a bit of industrial muscle and indulge in strikes both on the national railway and the London Underground? 2022 January 12, Christian Wolmar, “A new year... but the same old mistakes are being made”, in RAIL, number 948, pages 40–41:
   • Richardson took over, and Mitchell proceeded to the refreshment room in his turn, but when he came back some ten minutes later, it was evident that he had been indulging in something more potent than coffee, and he was in a very muddled state. 1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, page 53:
2. (transitive) To satisfy the wishes or whims of.
   • August 30, 1706, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, at the funeral of Mr. Tho. Bennet Hope in another life implies that we indulge ourselves in the gratifications of this very sparingly.
   • I love to indulge myself with beautiful clothes.
   • It’s the kind of scenario Peter Sellers might have dreamt up while brushing his teeth, and some of the comic set-pieces – including Nobby’s seduction of a fabulously overweight maid (Gabourey Sidibe) at a luxurious South African hotel – allow Baron Cohen to indulge his Sellersian fantasies to a previously unprecedented degree. 2016 February 23, Robbie Collin, “Grimsby review: ' Sacha Baron Cohen's vital, venomous action movie'”, in The Daily Telegraph (London):
   • "She constantly faked being sick, and perhaps mistakenly, I indulged her more than I should have, pretending I couldn't tell. But I AM a teacher myself, so it's kind of hard to just let this slide." 2013, Jocelyn Samara D., Rain, volume 1, →ISBN, page 193:
   • Grandma indulges the kids with sweets.
   • Internet shopping invites you to gaze out upon the entire bazaar all at once and to indulge the merest whim 2019 November 21, Samanth Subramanian, “How our home delivery habit reshaped the world”, in The Guardian:
3. To give way to (a habit or temptation); to not oppose or restrain.
   • to indulge sloth, pride, selfishness, or inclinations
4. To grant an extension to the deadline of a payment.
5. To grant as by favour; to bestow in concession, or in compliance with a wish or request.
   • Yet, yet a moment, one dim ray of light / Indulge, dread Chaos, and eternal Night! 1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC:
   • persuading us that something must be indulged to public manners 1678, Antiquitates Christianæ: Or, the History of the Life and Death of the Holy Jesus: […], London: […] E. Flesher, and R. Norton, for R[ichard] Royston, […], →OCLC:

Forms

Antonyms

push · drive · work

Deriveds

indulgee · indulgingly · overindulge · indulgeable · underindulge · indulgement · reindulge

Hypernyms

satisfy · sate · overprotect

Relateds

indulger · indulgence · indulgent

Synonyms

posset · mother · indulge · namby-pamby · spoil (to satisfy the wishes of) · mollycoddle · pamper (to satisfy the wishes of) · cocker · coddle (to satisfy the wishes of) · baby · featherbed · cosset (to satisfy the wishes of) · nanny

Translations (112)

hu lesi/teljesíti kívánságát (minden) (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · pt ceder (to yield to a temptation) · es ser indulgente consigo mismo (to yield to a temptation) · de nachgeben (to yield to a temptation) · ro răsfăța (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · he סיפק (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · cs hýčkat (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · gl consentir (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · ru предаваться (to yield to a temptation) · cs dát průchod (citům, návyku) (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · fi sortua (to yield to a temptation) · pt sucumbir (to yield to a temptation) · de frönen (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · fi suoda (to grant as by favour) · ro îngădui (to grant extension to payment) · hu belemerül (to yield to a temptation) · cs rozmazlovat (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · ru балова́ть (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · pl rozpuszczać (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · fi langeta (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · mi whakawaireka (to yield to a temptation) · hu kielégít (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · oc sucombir (to yield to a temptation) · fi antaa maksuaikaa (to grant extension to payment) · fr gâter (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · eo indulgi (to yield to a temptation) · th หลงระเริง (to yield to a temptation) · ru попусти́тельствовать (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · de nachgiebig sein gegenüber (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · es indultar (to grant extension to payment) · ja 甘やかす (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · cs dopřát si (to yield to a temptation) · hu kedvét keresi (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · eo dorloti (to yield to a temptation) · ru ублажа́ть (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · eo cedi al (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · hu elcsábul (to yield to a temptation) · ro amâna (to grant extension to payment) · az uymaq (to yield to a temptation) · fi hemmotella (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · de nachsichtig sein gegenüber (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · pl folgować (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · el ενδίδω (to yield to a temptation) · ru потво́рствовать (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · bg задоволявам (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · ru соблазня́ться (to yield to a temptation) · cmn 寬限 /宽限 (to grant extension to payment) · bg позволявам си (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · cmn 放縱 /放纵 (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · de hätscheln (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · de ergeben (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · es indulgir (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · hu hódol (to yield to a temptation) · gl permitir (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · hu megenged magának (to yield to a temptation) · bg отдавам се на (to yield to a temptation) · ru потака́ть (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · he הִתְעַנֵֵּג (to yield to a temptation) · ru соблазни́ться (to yield to a temptation) · cs dopřávat si (to yield to a temptation) · ro păsui (to grant extension to payment) · cmn 恩准 (to grant as by favour) · de erliegen (to yield to a temptation) · cmn 放任 (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · nl in de watten leggen (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · el κακομαθαίνω (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · pl ulegać (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · nl koesteren (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · de verwöhnen (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · nl uitstel van betaling toestaan (to grant extension to payment) · cmn 遷就 /迁就 (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · fr choyer (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · cmn 屈服 (to yield to a temptation) · el του κάνω όλα τα χατήρια (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · nl verwennen (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · mi morimori (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · ru отсро́чить (to grant extension to payment) · hu elkényeztet (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · hu átadja magát (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · pl ulec (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · tr memnun etmek (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · tr meyletmek (to yield to a temptation) · cs uspokojit (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · hu kedvében jár (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · hu kényeztet (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · pt mimar (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · cs oddávat se (pokušení) (to yield to a temptation) · sv hänge sig (åt) (to yield to a temptation) · ru угождать (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · el υποκύπτω (to yield to a temptation) · de nachgeben (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · es indulgenciar (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · fr accorder un délai de paiement (to grant extension to payment) · pl folgować (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · cmn 寬縱 /宽纵 (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · mi whakawaireka (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · mi whakapuhi (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · oc cedir (to yield to a temptation) · cs vychutnat si (to yield to a temptation) · el καλομαθαίνω (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · fr céder (to yield to a temptation) · hu haladékot ad (to grant extension to payment) · fr succomber (à la tentation) (to yield to a temptation) · fr dorloter (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · fi langeta (to yield to a temptation) · gl sucumbir (to yield to a temptation) · tr şımartmak (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · cmn 姑息 (to satisfy the wishes or whims of) · cmn 放縱 /放纵 (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain) · nl zwichten (voor de verleiding) (to yield to a temptation) · nl toegeven (to yield to a temptation) · de hingeben (to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain)