indulgent
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of indulgent
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin indulgent-, stem of indulgēns “taking pleasure in,” present participle of indulgēre; see indulge
Explanation
Someone who is self-indulgent gives themselves a lot of treats. Parents who are indulgent cave to every desire their child expresses. Indulgent means lenient, or overly generous. Indulgent is a word that, here in Puritanical North America, is hard to know how to take. Is it okay to “indulge yourself” as so many spa advertisements suggest? Or is indulgent always associated with excess? You can indulge fantasies of figuring out the answer, or you can give in to an indulgent shrug and move on to another word.
Vocabulary lists containing indulgent
The Giver
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Achievement First 7th Grade IA 1 Words
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Purple Hibiscus
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The bread itself naturally softens and rounds everything out, so you don’t need an alarming amount to make it feel indulgent.
From Salon • May 25, 2026
Warm, buttery and cinnamon-scented coconut bread from St. Kitts and Nevis made an indulgent dessert.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Ultimately, the risk is that prolonged war and indulgent external backing produce a state whose pathologies are dangerous in and of themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
At nearly four hours, the sequel is bigger, louder and more indulgent than the original.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
The kindly inspector with the granite face must have thought he had been indulgent enough, for he stepped forward to brush away Cecilia’s hand and interpose himself.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
