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.
Specially Selected's Indulgent Greek Yogurts, which come in honey and honey vanilla flavors, make for a quick breakfast or sweet snack.
From Salon • Jul. 20, 2022
Indulgent is a good old-fashioned word that we don't hear enough these days.
From The Guardian • Feb. 8, 2012
Indulgent aunts, uncles and grandparents know it too�and quite a few businessmen are in on the secret.
From Time Magazine Archive
Indulgent pressmen did not mind printing the ships which went a-Gulf-Streaming last week: Homeric & Majestic, Mauretania and Columbus.
From Time Magazine Archive
It surely draws me towards those Indulgent, pleasant, smiling, beaming rows!
From The Letters of Charles Dickens Vol. 1, 1833-1856 by Hogarth, Georgina
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.
