indulge
gb/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ/ us/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ/
B2
Inglês
~ 5800
Aceções
0 aceções
Verbo
B2
action
1
allow yourself a special pleasure
to let yourself have or do something you enjoy, especially something nice like food, rest, or a luxury
Padrão de uso:
to indulge (yourself) (in) [something enjoyable]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use *indulge* without an object or preposition when they mean "enjoy" (e.g. *I indulge a movie*). It almost always needs an object or *in*: say *I indulge in a movie* or more naturally *I enjoy a movie*. Another mistake is using it for everyday neutral enjoyment; *indulge* usually suggests a special treat or something slightly excessive, not regular habits.
Sinónimos
treat yourself (more informal and direct; commonly used for small pleasures like food or shopping)
|
pamper yourself (suggests extra comfort and care, often with time and money spent (e.g. spa, massage))
Antónimos
restrain yourself (focuses on holding back from doing or taking something you want)
|
deny yourself (emphasizes not allowing yourself something you want, often for moral or health reasons)
Colocações
indulge yourself
|indulge in dessert
|indulge a craving
|indulge in chocolate
|indulge in luxury
|occasionally indulge
Temas
daily life
|leisure
|food
|emotions
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- After a long week at work, she decided to indulge herself with a spa day.
- If you’re on a diet, you can still indulge in a small piece of dark chocolate.
- He rarely buys anything for himself, but once a year he indulges in a really expensive bottle of wine.
- On vacation we like to indulge ourselves and stay in a nice hotel.
- They told him to relax and indulge his love of good food for one night.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- On my birthday, I indulge myself with a big cake.
- She works hard, so she sometimes indulges in a long, hot bath.
- When I travel, I like to indulge in local food.
- He doesn’t often indulge himself, but today he bought new shoes.
- It is okay to indulge in a small treat now and then.
Verbo
C1
action
2
be too willing to give in
to give someone what they want too easily, or let them do what they want too much
Padrão de uso:
to indulge [someone] / to indulge [someone’s] [wish/whim/habit]
Erro comum:
Learners may confuse *indulge* with *encourage*. *Indulge* usually has a negative tone of being too soft or allowing too much, while *encourage* is positive support. Also, do not say *indulge to someone*; the verb takes a direct object: *They indulge their kids*, not *They indulge to their kids*.
Sinónimos
spoil (commonly used with children; strongly suggests giving too much and creating bad habits)
|
coddle (suggests protecting or caring for someone too much, so they become weak or dependent)
Antónimos
discipline (focuses on teaching limits and correcting behavior rather than always giving what is wanted)
|
restrain (emphasizes stopping someone from doing what they want or limiting their freedom to act)
Colocações
indulge the children
|indulge her every wish
|indulge his whims
|overly indulge
|indulge bad behavior
|indulgent parents
Temas
family
|education
|relationships
|behavior
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- They tend to indulge their children, buying them every new gadget they ask for.
- The teacher refused to indulge his constant need for attention.
- Her grandparents love to indulge her every whim when she visits.
- If you indulge that kind of behavior now, it will be very hard to change later.
- He indulged his son for years, and now the boy expects to get everything he wants.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The parents indulge their child and never say no.
- Her mother indulges her bad habits and does not stop her.
- If you always indulge him, he will not learn to share.
- His grandparents indulge him and buy him many toys.
- The coach does not indulge lazy players.
Verbo
C1
action
3
engage in a harmful pleasure
to do something you enjoy but that is not good for you or is seen as wrong, such as smoking, gambling, or gossip
Padrão de uso:
to indulge in [a negative or excessive activity]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use *indulge in* with neutral or positive activities that are not excessive (e.g. *indulge in work*). In modern use, *indulge in* usually suggests something bad, unhealthy, or done too much, such as *indulge in sweets* or *indulge in gossip*. For neutral activities, use *do*, *enjoy*, or *take part in* instead.
Sinónimos
engage in (neutral term for taking part in an activity; lacks the pleasure or negative-judgment meaning of *indulge in*)
|
wallow in (suggests taking excessive, almost uncontrolled pleasure in something negative, often emotions)
Antónimos
refrain from (stresses consciously not doing something, often something tempting or harmful)
|
abstain from (more formal; often used for avoiding harmful habits like alcohol, sex, or drugs)
Colocações
indulge in gossip
|indulge in gambling
|indulge in violence
|indulge in excess
|indulge in risky behavior
|indulge in drugs
Temas
behavior
|health
|morality
|society
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- He occasionally indulges in gambling, even though he knows it’s risky.
- The article criticizes politicians who indulge in personal attacks instead of serious debate.
- She refuses to indulge in gossip about her colleagues.
- After his injury, he began to indulge in self-pity rather than looking for solutions.
- They accused the group of indulging in violent rhetoric online.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- He sometimes indulges in gambling on weekends.
- I try not to indulge in gossip at work.
- She does not want to indulge in bad habits like smoking.
- They indulged in heavy drinking at the party.
- We should not indulge in violence, even when we are angry.
Verbo
formal
C1
action
4
humor or give in politely
to be kind and let someone have what they ask for, or to accept an idea you do not really agree with, often just to be polite
Padrão de uso:
to indulge [someone / something] / to indulge [someone’s] [whim/fantasy/curiosity]
Erro comum:
Learners may not realize this sense is quite formal and often used in set phrases like *If you’ll indulge me*. Using it in casual speech (e.g. *Please indulge my idea* with friends) can sound unnatural or overly serious. In everyday talk, expressions like *go along with*, *put up with*, or *listen to* are more natural.
Sinónimos
humor (very close meaning; to go along with someone’s wish or idea, often to keep them happy)
|
pander to (stronger negative tone; suggests pleasing someone’s desires in a way that is weak or wrong)
Antónimos
refuse (directly say no to a request instead of allowing it)
|
dismiss (reject an idea or request as unimportant or not worth considering)
Colocações
if you’ll indulge me
|indulge a whim
|indulge a fantasy
|indulge his curiosity
|indulge a request
|indulge her imagination
Temas
relationships
|communication
|emotions
|politeness
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’d like to tell a short story.
- The director refused to indulge the actor’s last-minute demands.
- She smiled and indulged his fantasy about quitting his job and moving to an island.
- Curious, he asked another question, and she indulged him with a detailed answer.
- The committee decided not to indulge his request for yet another extension.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- If you will indulge me, I want to ask one more question.
- She did not believe his idea, but she indulged him and listened.
- They did not want to indulge his strange request.
- The teacher indulged the students’ curiosity and answered many extra questions.
- He likes to indulge his own fantasy of living in another country.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
indulge
IPA
GB/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ/
US/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ/
Sílabas e acento
in - dulge (2 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (dulge)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: indulge
- 3rd Person Singular: indulges
- Present Participle: indulging
- Past: indulged
Família de palavras
Forms
indulges
verb
indulging
verb
indulged
verb
Core family
indulgence
noun B2
indulgent
adjective C1
Related words
Advanced or less common
self-indulgent
adjective
self-indulgence
noun
Expressões
indulge a child
1/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ ə t͡ʃˈaɪld/
fixed phrase
be too soft with a child
to give a child what they want too easily or too often, so they may become spoiled
Exemplos
- Grandparents often indulge a child more than the parents do.
- If you always indulge a child, they may not learn to accept limits.
- They tend to indulge their child instead of saying no.
indulge a fantasy
1/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ ə fˈæntəsi/
fixed phrase
allow an unrealistic daydream
to let yourself enjoy thinking about something that is not real or not likely to happen
Exemplos
- Sometimes it’s nice to indulge a fantasy about leaving everything and moving to the beach.
- She indulged his fantasy of starting a band, even though she knew it would never happen.
- He occasionally indulges a fantasy of winning the lottery.
indulge a habit
1/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ ə hˈæbət/
fixed phrase
allow a habit to continue
to let a habit continue, especially when it is not good or not necessary, instead of stopping it
Exemplos
- He tries not to indulge his smoking habit when he’s around his children.
- She decided she would no longer indulge her habit of checking her phone at night.
- The manager refuses to indulge the team’s habit of arriving late.
indulge in
1/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
do or consume something pleasurable
to do something or eat/drink something that you enjoy, especially when it is not good for you or you do it too much
Exemplos
- On weekends, he likes to indulge in long, lazy breakfasts.
- Many people indulge in sweets when they are stressed.
- They indulged in loud gossip about their coworkers during lunch.
indulge me
1/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ mˈi/
fixed phrase
formal
politely ask for patience or permission
used before a question or comment to politely ask someone to be patient and allow you to say or do something
Exemplos
- Indulge me for a minute while I explain the background.
- If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to tell a short story.
- Just indulge me and answer one more question.
indulge someone's curiosity
1/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ sˈʌmwˌʌnz kjˌʊɹiˈɑsəti/
fixed phrase
satisfy someone's curiosity kindly
to kindly give someone the information they want because they are very interested or curious
Exemplos
- She indulged his curiosity and explained how the machine worked.
- To indulge the children’s curiosity, the guide opened the engine room door.
- He asked one more question, and the scientist indulged his curiosity with a detailed answer.
indulge yourself
1/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ jʊɹsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
treat yourself to something nice
to let yourself enjoy something special, like good food, rest, or a small luxury
Exemplos
- Go on, indulge yourself and order dessert.
- On holiday you should relax and indulge yourself a little.
- She decided to indulge herself with a new pair of shoes.