indulge
gb/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ/ us/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ/
B2
Engleză
~ 5800
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Verb
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
Tipar de utilizare:
to indulge (yourself) (in) [something enjoyable]
Greșeală frecventă:
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.
Sinonime
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))
Antonime
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)
Colocații
indulge yourself
|indulge in dessert
|indulge a craving
|indulge in chocolate
|indulge in luxury
|occasionally indulge
Teme
daily life
|leisure
|food
|emotions
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- 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.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- 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.
Verb
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
Tipar de utilizare:
to indulge [someone] / to indulge [someone’s] [wish/whim/habit]
Greșeală frecventă:
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*.
Sinonime
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)
Antonime
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)
Colocații
indulge the children
|indulge her every wish
|indulge his whims
|overly indulge
|indulge bad behavior
|indulgent parents
Teme
family
|education
|relationships
|behavior
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- 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.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- 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.
Verb
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
Tipar de utilizare:
to indulge in [a negative or excessive activity]
Greșeală frecventă:
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.
Sinonime
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)
Antonime
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)
Colocații
indulge in gossip
|indulge in gambling
|indulge in violence
|indulge in excess
|indulge in risky behavior
|indulge in drugs
Teme
behavior
|health
|morality
|society
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- 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.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- 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.
Verb
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
Tipar de utilizare:
to indulge [someone / something] / to indulge [someone’s] [whim/fantasy/curiosity]
Greșeală frecventă:
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.
Sinonime
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)
Antonime
refuse (directly say no to a request instead of allowing it)
|
dismiss (reject an idea or request as unimportant or not worth considering)
Colocații
if you’ll indulge me
|indulge a whim
|indulge a fantasy
|indulge his curiosity
|indulge a request
|indulge her imagination
Teme
relationships
|communication
|emotions
|politeness
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- 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.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- 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.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
indulge
IPA
GB/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ/
US/ɪndˈʌld͡ʒ/
Silabe și accent
in - dulge (2 silabe)
Stress on 2nd syllable (dulge)
Forme ale cuvântului
Verb
- Base: indulge
- 3rd Person Singular: indulges
- Present Participle: indulging
- Past: indulged
Familie de cuvinte
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
Expresii
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
Exemple
- 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
Exemple
- 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
Exemple
- 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
Exemple
- 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
Exemple
- 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
Exemple
- 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
Exemple
- 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.