English Reference
Idiom idiom

guilty pleasure


Something that brings pleasure but is considered taboo, unadvisable or lowbrow.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Watching reality television is my favorite guilty pleasure.

CONTEXTUAL

Even though he loves classical music, listening to cheesy pop songs remains his secret guilty pleasure.

COMPLEX

She confessed that reading sensationalist tabloid magazines was her guilty pleasure, despite her reputation as a serious academic scholar.


Related idioms1entry
  1. 01

    pleasure oneself

    To masturbate.

Last updated August 10, 2026