Phrase guide

guilty pleasure

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo, unadvisable or lowbrow.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • For the renowned sushi chef, it was a guilty pleasure to eat fish sticks drowned in tartar sauce.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 惡趣味 /恶趣味 (èqùwèi) — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Chinese Mandarin: 負罪的快感 /负罪的快感 (fùzuì de kuàigǎn) — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Chinese Mandarin: 怪癖 (guàipǐ) — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Chinese Mandarin: 俗人之樂 /俗人之乐 (súrén zhī lè) — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Czech: hříšné potěšení — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Czech: tajná neřest — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Finnish: salainen pahe — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • French: péché mignon — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • German: heimliches Vergnügen — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • German: lasterhaftes Vergnügen — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • German: billiges Vergnügen — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • German: sündhafte Freude — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • German: Laster — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • German: sündhaftes Vergnügen — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Hebrew: גילטי פלז׳ר (gílti plézher) — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Japanese: 悪趣味 (akushumi) — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Polish: grzeszna przyjemność — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Portuguese: prazer culpado — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Serbo-Croatian: zabranjeno voće — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Serbo-Croatian: slatki grijeh — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Serbo-Croatian: slatki greh — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Spanish: placer culpable — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo
  • Spanish: gusto culposo — something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo