self-indulgent
Americanadjective
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indulging one's own desires, passions, whims, etc., especially without restraint.
-
characterized by such indulgence.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-indulgent
First recorded in 1785–95
Explanation
Anything self-indulgent you do for yourself, without thinking about other people. Enjoy a self-indulgent day at the spa! But self-indulgent can also mean “selfish,” like a rambling self-indulgent speech that puts the audience to sleep. Eating whatever you feel like, even if it's ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is self-indulgent. Spending an entire day lying in a hammock when you have a project to work on for school is also self-indulgent. You just do what you feel like doing: in other words, you indulge yourself. Indulge, "to grant as an unearned favor," comes from the Latin indulgere, "be kind, yield, or concede."
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.
These reported essays can feel self-indulgent, slow and overlong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
That Europeans and Canadians resent being spoken to in this way is self-indulgent on our part.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
In that instance, the public were given the chance to choose the overall winner, opting for the term describing "unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly or greedy" behaviour.
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
But a one-star review from the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw said it was a "dire, sentimental and self-indulgent film".
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2025
He would have thought Hoagland was typically American, crazy, self-indulgent, too rich in time and money.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
