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



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Word of the Day

29 March 2025

THOUGHTLESS

(adjective) without care or thought for others; “the thoughtless saying of a great princess on being informed that the people had no bread; ‘Let them eat cake’”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest iced coffee is 14,228.1 liters and was created by Caffé Bene (South Korea), in Yangju, South Korea, on 17 July 2014. They poured iced black Americano on the giant cup that measured 3.3 meters tall and 2.62 meters wide.

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