Word
indulgent
Phoneticsin·dul·gent, stress on the second syllable
US/ˌɪnˈdəɫdʒənt/
UK/ɪndˈʌldʒənt/
Definition
adj. allowing yourself or someone else to have whatever they want, even if it is not healthy or necessary. You use this to describe someone who is very kind or soft in a way that might be too much.
adj. characterised by a tendency to be overly lenient or to yield to desires and whims. Often describes a person's temperament or a specific luxury that provides excessive pleasure.
Examples
“She treated herself to an indulgent chocolate cake.”
“The grandparents were quite indulgent, allowing the children to stay up late and eat sweets whenever they visited.”
“While the critic praised the film's visual beauty, he found the three-hour runtime to be an indulgent display of the director's ego rather than a necessary narrative choice.”
Examples
simple
“She treated herself to an indulgent chocolate cake.”
contextual
“The grandparents were quite indulgent, allowing the children to stay up late and eat sweets whenever they visited.”
complex
“While the critic praised the film's visual beauty, he found the three-hour runtime to be an indulgent display of the director's ego rather than a necessary narrative choice.”
Usage
Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', or 'become'; frequently takes the preposition 'of' when directed at a person or behavior.
Real-World Examples
“Saving Mr Banks is an indulgent, overlong picture which is always on the verge of becoming a mess.” Etymology
From Latin indulgēns, indulgentem, present participle of indulgēre.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/indulgent