INDULGE

gratify, pander, indulge

(verb) yield (to); give satisfaction to

indulge

(verb) give free rein to; “The writer indulged in metaphorical language”

pamper, featherbed, cosset, cocker, baby, coddle, mollycoddle, spoil, indulge

(verb) treat with excessive indulgence; “grandparents often pamper the children”; “Let’s not mollycoddle our students!”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

indulge (third-person singular simple present indulges, present participle indulging, simple past and past participle indulged)

(intransitive, often followed by "in"): To yield to a temptation or desire.

(transitive) To satisfy the wishes or whims of.

To give way to (a habit or temptation); not to oppose or restrain.

To grant an extension to the deadline of a payment.

To grant as by favour; to bestow in concession, or in compliance with a wish or request.

Synonyms

• (to satisfy the wishes of): coddle, cosset, pamper, spoil

• See also indulge

Anagrams

• Legundi, dueling, eluding

Source: Wiktionary

In*dulge", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Indulged; p. pr. & vb. n. Indulging.] Etym: [L. indulgere to be kind or tender to one; cf. OIr. dilgud, equiv. to L. remissio, OIr. dligeth, equiv. to L. lex, Goth. dulgs debt.]

1. To be complacent toward; to give way to; not to oppose or restrain; (a) when said of a habit, desire, etc.: to give free course to; to give one's self up to; as, to indulge sloth, pride, selfishness, or inclinations; (b) when said of a person: to yield to the desire of; to gratify by compliance; to humor; to withhold restraint from; as, to indulge children in their caprices or willfulness; to indulge one's self with a rest or in pleasure. Hope in another life implies that we indulge ourselves in the gratifications of this very sparingly. Atterbury.

2. To grant as by favor; to bestow in concession, or in compliance with a wish or request. Persuading us that something must be indulged to public manners. Jer. Taylor. Yet, yet a moment, one dim ray of light Indulge, dread Chaos, and eternal Night! Pope.

Note: It is remarked by Johnson, that if the matter of indulgence is a single thing, it has with before it; if it is a habit, it has in; as, he indulged himself with a glass of wine or a new book; he indulges himself in idleness or intemperance. See Gratify.

In*dulge", v. i.

Definition: To indulge one's self; to gratify one's tastes or desires; esp., to give one's self up (to); to practice a forbidden or questionable act without restraint; -- followed by in, but formerly, also, by to. "Willing to indulge in easy vices." Johnson.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition