indulgence

American  

[in-duhl-juhns] / ɪnˈdʌl dʒəns /

noun

indulgences plural

1. the act or practice of indulging; gratification of desire.

2. the state of being indulgent.

3. indulgent allowance or tolerance.

   Synonyms:

   allowance, forbearance, sufferance

4. a catering to someone's mood or whim; humoring.

   The sick man demanded indulgence as his due.

5. something indulged in.

   Her favorite indulgence was candy.

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

7. 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.

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

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verb (used with object)

indulgenced, indulgencing

1. Roman Catholic Church. to provide with an indulgence.

   an indulgenced pilgrimage to Rome.

indulgence British  

/ ɪnˈdʌldʒəns /

noun

1. the act of indulging or state of being indulgent

2. a pleasure, habit, etc, indulged in; extravagance

   fur coats are an indulgence

3. liberal or tolerant treatment

4. something granted as a favour or privilege

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

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

7. 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

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verb

1. RC Church to designate as providing indulgence

   indulgenced prayers

indulgence Cultural  

1. 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.

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Discover More

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonindulgence
  noun
• preindulgence
  noun
• reindulgence
  noun
• superindulgence
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• indulgences
  plural

Etymology

Origin of indulgence

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

Explanation

An indulgence is doing something that you enjoy even if it has negative consequences. Buying yourself something that you don't need, be it a cookie, video game, or diamond necklace, is an indulgence. If you allow yourself to eat more chocolate cake or watch more TV than is really good for you, those are your little indulgences. If you spend your life savings on a trip to Tahiti, that’s a huge indulgence. If someone says to you, "Grant me this indulgence," prepare for a long-winded story that tries to convince you of something. Long, long ago the Catholic Church sold something called "indulgences": pardons for sins.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

indulgence indulgences indulgenced

Maybe every time you pay off $8,000, you can treat yourself to whatever indulgence you prefer.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

“It’s pretentious indulgence and I’m making a condescending judgment that half the audience doesn’t have a clue about it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

After a mid-morning indulgence, I set out to keep to a writer’s diet.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

The company hopes to capture higher-margin sales and appeal to younger consumers, who are gravitating toward customized, colorful drinks as an affordable indulgence.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

Even the Jesuits had allowed him considerable indulgence, such as permission to get up late in the morning, which became not so much a habit as a way of life for Descartes.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

I love skincare, that’s one of my little indulgences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

The growing use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, greater scrutiny of ingredients, and government policies around food assistance are all nudging consumers away from traditional indulgences.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

The bigger screens start out as indulgences for gadget nerds, but by 2020, nearly everyone is upsizing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

Brown butter’s association with gourmet indulgences like, yes, lemony garlicky miso gochujang brown butter pasta underscores a growing trend of butter gone luxe.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2025

On small things I was thrifty enough; no expenditures on “carousing,” flashy clothes, or any of the other indulgences that are often smugly believed to undermine the budgets of the poor.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Rosaries and other indulgenced articles do not lose their indulgences, when they are loaned or given away, for the indulgence is not personal but attached to the article itself.

From Baltimore Catechism, No. 3 by Anonymous

Related Words

• extravagance
• kindness
• leniency
• permissiveness
• privilege