# indulgent

/ˌɪnˈdəɫdʒənt/ (US) · /ɪndˈʌldʒənt/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/indulgent
Updated: 2026-05-08

## Definition

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.

For teachers: 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.

## Usage notes

- Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', or 'become'; frequently takes the preposition 'of' when directed at a person or behavior.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.