indulgence

indulgence — noun

1. Letting yourself enjoy a pleasure or treat even though you know it may not be he

1.nounB2
Definition

Letting yourself enjoy a pleasure or treat even though you know it may not be healthy, necessary, or wise — for instance, spending a whole afternoon reading a novel when you have chores waiting.

Example

Mateo's only indulgence was a weekly chess game with his neighbor, deadlines or not.

possessive + 'only' + indulgence: a person's sole treat

Olivia decided that a piece of dark chocolate after dinner was an indulgence worth keeping.

collocation: indulgence worth keeping

Common collocations
  • an indulgence
  • my indulgence
  • the only indulgence
  • expensive indulgence
  • affordable indulgence
  • guilty indulgence
  • indulgence in [something]
Synonyms
  • treat

    more informal and suggests something occasional and shared, e.g. buying yourself a coffee as a treat

  • luxury

    focuses on high quality and expense, not necessarily guilt; a luxury hotel is not an indulgence

  • extravagance

    stronger sense of wastefulness and excess; carries more disapproval than indulgence

  • self-indulgence

    more negative than indulgence, emphasizing weakness of will rather than an occasional pleasure

Antonyms
  • deprivation

    the state of being denied pleasures or basic comforts

Grammar Patterns

[possessive] indulgence

something is an indulgence

Usage Note

Frequently preceded by a possessive adjective (my indulgence, his indulgence) or used in the pattern '[something] is an indulgence.' Common in the phrase 'worth the indulgence.'

Common Mistakes

I had a small piece of cake as an indulgent.
I had a small piece of cake as an indulgence.
indulgent is an adjective, not a noun.

2. A willingness to forgive someone's mistakes or bad behavior rather than punishin

2.nounB2
Definition

A willingness to forgive someone's mistakes or bad behavior rather than punishing or criticizing them — for example, a parent overlooking a broken window because the child was trying to help.

Example

The teacher showed indulgence toward the late assignment because the student had been sick.

show indulgence toward [something]

Devika's friends treated her indulgence as kindness, not weakness, when she forgave their broken promises.

Common collocations
  • show indulgence
  • treat with indulgence
  • indulgence toward [someone]
Synonyms
  • leniency

    very close in meaning but suggests the person in authority had the power to punish and chose not to

  • forbearance

    more formal; emphasizes patience and restraint in the face of provocation

  • tolerance

    broader in meaning; can refer to accepting different opinions or customs, not just overlooking faults

Antonyms
  • strictness

    insisting on rules being followed without exception

  • severity

    harsh or strict treatment of mistakes

Grammar Patterns

show indulgence toward [someone/something]

treat [someone] with indulgence

Usage Note

Often paired with the preposition 'toward' (indulgence toward someone) or 'with' (treat someone with indulgence). This sense is more formal than sense 1 and typically describes a superior's attitude toward a subordinate's fault.

Common Mistakes

The manager showed indulgence toward different cultural practices.
The manager showed tolerance toward different cultural practices.
indulgence means overlooking faults; tolerance means accepting differences in beliefs or practices.

3. Within Catholic teaching, a Church-authorized reduction of the penalty still owe

3.nounC1
Definition

Within Catholic teaching, a Church-authorized reduction of the penalty still owed for sins already confessed and absolved — earned through prayer, charitable deeds, or a papal decree.

Example

In medieval times, many Christians bought indulgences hoping to reduce their time in purgatory.

The priest said indulgences could be gained by praying or visiting a holy place.

passive: indulgence could be gained by [action]

Common collocations
  • plenary indulgence
  • partial indulgence
  • gain an indulgence
  • grant an indulgence
  • buy an indulgence
Synonyms
  • absolution

    the forgiveness of sin itself through confession, not the remission of punishment

  • remission

    a more general term for cancellation of a debt or penalty; not specific to Catholic theology

Grammar Patterns

gain/receive an indulgence

grant an indulgence

plenary indulgence

Usage Note

Distinguish from 'absolution' (the forgiveness of guilt through confession). An indulgence concerns the temporal punishment that remains even after absolution has been granted. This sense is almost entirely confined to Catholic theology and church history.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe something enjoyable beyond the ordinary, but they differ in tone and scope. A treat is a simple, occasional pleasure — often shared or given as a reward (buying yourself a coffee as a treat). Luxury emphasizes high quality and expense; it can be a regular part of one's lifestyle without any sense of guilt (a luxury hotel). Extravagance carries clear disapproval, pointing to wastefulness and excess beyond what is reasonable (spending a month's salary on a handbag). Self-indulgence is even more critical, focusing on the weakness of will behind the pleasure (his self-indulgence with desserts ruined his health). Indulgence is the most neutral of the four — it acknowledges the pleasure may be unnecessary but does not condemn it. Saying 'Her only indulgence was fresh flowers each week' sounds mild and forgivable, where 'Her extravagance' would sound much harsher.

treat ↗luxury ↗extravaganceself-indulgence

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • act of indulgence
  • form of indulgence
  • spirit of indulgence

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin indulgentia, meaning 'a yielding' or 'kindness,' derived from the verb indulgēre 'to be kind, to yield, to give way.' The word entered English through Old French in the 14th century. The Catholic Church meaning developed in medieval Church Latin, referring to the Pope's authority to remit temporal punishment for sin. The modern sense of 'allowing oneself a pleasure' emerged in the 16th century, shifting from 'yielding to another' to 'yielding to oneself.'