Standard Lemma guide

indulge

verb · 9 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪnˈdʌld͡ʒ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌldʒ
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N D AH1 L JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To yield to a temptation or desire.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, often

Examples

  • He looked at the chocolate but didn't indulge.
  • I indulged in drinking on the weekend.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To satisfy the wishes or whims of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Grandma indulges the kids with sweets.
  • I love to indulge myself with beautiful clothes.
  • 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.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To give way to (a habit or temptation); to not oppose or restrain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to indulge sloth, pride, selfishness, or inclinations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To grant an extension to the deadline of a payment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To grant as by favour; to bestow in concession, or in compliance with a wish or request.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

yield (to); give satisfaction to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gratify, pander

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: provide, supply, ply, cater

Narrower terms: humor, humour, spree, sow one's oats, sow one's wild oats

7

verb

Meaning 7

enjoy to excess

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She indulges in ice cream

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: luxuriate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: consume, eat up, use up, eat, deplete, exhaust, run through, wipe out

Narrower terms: surfeit

8

verb

Meaning 8

give free rein to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The writer indulged in metaphorical language

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: wallow

9

verb

Meaning 9

treat with excessive indulgence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • grandparents often pamper the children
  • Let's not mollycoddle our students!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pamper, featherbed, cosset, cocker, baby, coddle, mollycoddle, spoil

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: treat, handle, do by

History

Etymology

From Latin indulgeō (“to indulge”).

Across languages

Translations

111 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: uymaq — to yield to a temptation
  • Bulgarian: отдавам се на (otdavam se na) — to yield to a temptation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 屈服 (qūfú) — to yield to a temptation
  • Czech: oddávat se (pokušení) — to yield to a temptation
  • Czech: dopřávat si — to yield to a temptation
  • Czech: dopřát si — to yield to a temptation
  • Czech: vychutnat si — to yield to a temptation
  • Dutch: toegeven — to yield to a temptation
  • Dutch: zwichten (voor de verleiding) — to yield to a temptation
  • Esperanto: indulgi — to yield to a temptation
  • Esperanto: dorloti — to yield to a temptation
  • Finnish: langeta — to yield to a temptation
  • Finnish: sortua — to yield to a temptation
  • French: céder — to yield to a temptation
  • French: succomber (à la tentation) — to yield to a temptation
  • Galician: sucumbir — to yield to a temptation
  • German: nachgeben — to yield to a temptation
  • German: erliegen — to yield to a temptation
  • Greek: υποκύπτω (ypokýpto) — to yield to a temptation
  • Greek: ενδίδω (endído) — to yield to a temptation
  • Hebrew: הִתְעַנֵֵּג (hit'anég) — to yield to a temptation
  • Hungarian: elcsábul — to yield to a temptation
  • Hungarian: hódol — to yield to a temptation
  • Hungarian: megenged magának — to yield to a temptation
  • Hungarian: belemerül — to yield to a temptation
  • Māori: whakawaireka — to yield to a temptation
  • Occitan: cedir — to yield to a temptation
  • Occitan: sucombir — to yield to a temptation
  • Portuguese: ceder — to yield to a temptation
  • Portuguese: sucumbir — to yield to a temptation
  • Russian: предаваться (predavatʹsja) — to yield to a temptation
  • Russian: соблазня́ться (soblaznjátʹsja) — to yield to a temptation
  • Russian: соблазни́ться (soblaznítʹsja) — to yield to a temptation
  • Spanish: ser indulgente consigo mismo — to yield to a temptation
  • Swedish: hänge sig (åt) — to yield to a temptation
  • Thai: หลงระเริง — to yield to a temptation
  • Turkish: meyletmek — to yield to a temptation
  • Bulgarian: задоволявам (zadovoljavam) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 放縱 /放纵 (fàngzòng) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 放任 (fàngrèn) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 姑息 (gūxī) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寬縱 /宽纵 (kuānzòng) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 遷就 /迁就 (qiānjiù) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Czech: uspokojit — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Czech: hýčkat — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Czech: rozmazlovat — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Dutch: in de watten leggen — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Dutch: verwennen — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Dutch: koesteren — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Esperanto: cedi al — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Finnish: hemmotella — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • French: dorloter — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • French: gâter — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • French: choyer — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Galician: consentir — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Galician: permitir — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • German: frönen — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • German: hätscheln — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • German: verwöhnen — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Greek: του κάνω όλα τα χατήρια (tou káno óla ta chatíria) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Greek: κακομαθαίνω (kakomathaíno) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Greek: καλομαθαίνω (kalomathaíno) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Hebrew: סיפק (sipék) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Hungarian: kényeztet — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Hungarian: elkényeztet — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Hungarian: kedvében jár — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Hungarian: kedvét keresi — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Hungarian: lesi/teljesíti kívánságát (minden) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Japanese: 甘やかす (amayakasu) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Māori: whakapuhi — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Māori: whakawaireka — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Māori: morimori — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Polish: folgować — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Polish: rozpuszczać — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Portuguese: mimar — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Romanian: răsfăța — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Russian: потака́ть (potakátʹ) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Russian: потво́рствовать (potvórstvovatʹ) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Russian: балова́ть (balovátʹ) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Russian: попусти́тельствовать (popustítelʹstvovatʹ) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Russian: ублажа́ть (ublažátʹ) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Russian: угождать (ugoždatʹ) — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Spanish: indulgenciar — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Spanish: indulgir — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Turkish: memnun etmek — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Turkish: şımartmak — to satisfy the wishes or whims of
  • Bulgarian: позволявам си (pozvoljavam si) — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Chinese Mandarin: 放縱 /放纵 (fàngzòng) — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Czech: dát průchod (citům, návyku) — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Finnish: langeta — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • German: nachgeben — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • German: ergeben — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • German: hingeben — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • German: nachsichtig sein gegenüber — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • German: nachgiebig sein gegenüber — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Hungarian: átadja magát — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Hungarian: kielégít — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Polish: folgować — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Polish: ulegać — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Polish: ulec — to give way to (a habit or temptation), not to oppose or restrain
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寬限 /宽限 (kuānxiàn) — to grant extension to payment
  • Dutch: uitstel van betaling toestaan — to grant extension to payment
  • Finnish: antaa maksuaikaa — to grant extension to payment
  • French: accorder un délai de paiement — to grant extension to payment
  • Hungarian: haladékot ad — to grant extension to payment
  • Romanian: amâna — to grant extension to payment
  • Romanian: păsui — to grant extension to payment
  • Romanian: îngădui — to grant extension to payment
  • Russian: отсро́чить (otsróčitʹ) — to grant extension to payment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 恩准 (ēnzhǔn) — to grant as by favour
  • Finnish: suoda — to grant as by favour