indulgence

[in-duhl-juhns]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR indulgence ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or practice of indulging; gratification of desire.

the state of being indulgent.

indulgent allowance or tolerance.

a catering to someone's mood or whim; humoring: The sick man demanded indulgence as his due.

something indulged in: Her favorite indulgence was candy.

Roman Catholic Church. a partial remission of the temporal punishment, especially purgatorial atonement, that is still due for a sin or sins after absolution.Compare plenary indulgence.

English and Scottish History. (in the reigns of Charles II and James II) a grant by the king to Protestant dissenters and Roman Catholics freeing them from certain penalties imposed, by legislation, because of their religion.

Commerce. an extension, through favor, of time for payment or performance.

verb (used with object), in·dul·genced, in·dul·genc·ing.

Roman Catholic Church. to provide with an indulgence: an indulgenced pilgrimage to Rome.

Origin of indulgence

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English word from Latin word indulgentia. See indulge, -ence

Related formsnon·in·dul·gence, nounpre·in·dul·gence, nounre·in·dul·gence, nounsu·per·in·dul·gence, noun

Synonyms for indulgence

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR indulgence ON THESAURUS.COM

3. sufferance, forbearance, allowance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for indulgence

privilege, extravagance, kindness, leniency, permissiveness, satiation, understanding, patience, lenience, fulfillment, appeasement, toleration, service, endurance, favor, pleasing, tolerance, attention, partiality, courtesy

Examples from the Web for indulgence

Contemporary Examples of indulgence

Three years ago, she moved to New Orleans, where, she says, she encountered a great culture of indulgence.
From Church of Christ to Pansexual Rapper
Tyler Gillespie
November 28, 2014
But even still, that little sip of indulgence from a mug or a glass tastes almost just as sweet.
Mommy’s Little Secret? Coffee And Booze.
Sally Kohn
May 11, 2014
The indulgence, however, does not apply to sins that have not yet been committed.
Popes, Saints, Miracles, Weird Relics and Odd Omens Converge on Rome
Barbie Latza Nadeau
April 26, 2014
Jill also admitted to her past indulgence in the substance at a Led Zeppelin concert.
‘Silicon Valley’ and the Return of Stoner Television
Rich Goldstein
April 10, 2014
Those who made a pilgrimage to pray to the relic were given a 10-year indulgence.
Who Stole John Paul’s Blood And Christ’s Foreskin?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 29, 2014

Historical Examples of indulgence

All your scruples, you see, have met with an indulgence truly maternal from me.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
There is no question that the indulgence in beer is merely an acquired habit.
Government by the Brewers?
Adolph Keitel
For all indulgence in wine and coffee and tobacco you will have a bill to pay.
The Call of the Twentieth Century
David Starr Jordan
He was always kind to me, and if he failed in justice, it was on the side of indulgence.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
She thanks you for your indulgence, on which she will not encroach.
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for indulgence

indulgence

noun

the act of indulging or state of being indulgent

a pleasure, habit, etc, indulged in; extravagancefur coats are an indulgence

liberal or tolerant treatment

something granted as a favour or privilege

RC Church a remission of the temporal punishment for sin after its guilt has been forgiven

commerce an extension of time granted as a favour for payment of a debt or as fulfilment of some other obligation

Also called: Declaration of Indulgence a royal grant during the reigns of Charles II and James II of England giving Nonconformists and Roman Catholics a measure of religious freedom

verb (tr)

RC Church to designate as providing indulgenceindulgenced prayers

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for indulgence

mid-14c., "freeing from temporal punishment for sin," from Old French indulgence or directly from Latin indulgentia "complaisance, fondness, remission," from indulgentem (nominative indulgens) "indulgent, kind, tender, fond," present participle of indulgere "be kind, yield," of unknown origin; perhaps from in- "in" + derivative of PIE root *dlegh- "to engage oneself."

Sense of "gratification of another's desire or humor" is attested from late 14c. That of "yielding to one's inclinations" (technically self-indulgence) is from 1640s. In British history, Indulgence also refers to grants of certain liberties to Nonconformists under Charles II and James II, as special favors rather than legal rights; specifically the Declarations of Indulgence of 1672, 1687, and 1688 in England and 1669, 1672, and 1687 in Scotland.

indulgence in Culture

indulgence

In the Roman Catholic Church, a declaration by church authorities that those who say certain prayers or do good deeds will have some or all of their punishment in purgatory remitted.

Note

In the Middle Ages, indulgences were frequently sold, and the teaching on indulgences was often distorted. The attack by Martin Luther on the sale of indulgences began the Reformation.