guilty pleasure

American  

[gil-tee plezh-er] / ˈgɪl ti ˈplɛʒ ər /

noun

1. an activity, habit, food, etc., that a person feels shame or guilt for enjoying, often because they feel they will be judged by others.

   TV shows meant for teens are a guilty pleasure many adults just can't get enough of.

   Eating healthfully is important, but treating yourself to a guilty pleasure from time to time is definitely not a crime.

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Etymology

Origin of guilty pleasure

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

When we decided to rank the best Los Angeles movies, we thought 101 titles would be plenty: room enough for undeniable classics, personal obsessions, even a guilty pleasure or two.

From Los Angeles Times

Treat the Trader Joe’s freezer aisle — or your local equivalent — as infrastructure, not a guilty pleasure.

From Salon

Dawson's Creek was my guilty pleasure in the late 90s.

From BBC

Fried dough has scratched guilty pleasure for millennia.

From Salon

It’s Seyfried who elevates “The Housemaid” from guilty pleasure status, making it an exhilarating enigma at one moment and genuinely affecting the next.

From Salon