indulge

indulge
verb (indulged; indulging) Etymology: Latin indulgēre to be complaisant Date: circa 1623 transitive verb 1. a. to give free rein to b. to take unrestrained pleasure in ; gratify 2. a. to yield to the desire of ; humor <
please indulge me for a moment
>
b. to treat with excessive leniency, generosity, or consideration intransitive verb to indulge oneself • indulger noun Synonyms: indulge, pamper, humor, spoil, baby, mollycoddle mean to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings. indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires <
indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse
>
. pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect <
pampered by the amenities of modern living
>
. humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims <
humored him by letting him tell the story
>
. spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering <
foolish parents spoil their children
>
. baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude <
babying students by grading too easily
>
. mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare <
refused to mollycoddle her malingering son
>
.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Indulge — In*dulge , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Indulged}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Indulging}.] [L. indulgere to be kind or tender to one; cf. OIr. dilgud, equiv. to L. remissio, OIr. dligeth, equiv. to L. lex, Goth. dulgs debt.] [1913 Webster] 1. To be complacent… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • indulge — [in dulj′] vt. indulged, indulging [L indulgere, to be kind to, yield to < in + base prob. akin to Gr dolichos, long & Goth tulgus, firm] 1. to yield to or satisfy (a desire); give oneself up to [to indulge a craving for sweets] 2. to gratify… …   English World dictionary

  • Indulge — In*dulge , v. i. To indulge one s self; to gratify one s tastes or desires; esp., to give one s self up (to); to practice a forbidden or questionable act without restraint; followed by in, but formerly, also, by to. Willing to indulge in easy… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • indulge — indulge, pamper, humor, spoil, baby, mollycoddle mean to show undue favor or attention to a person or his desires. Indulge implies weakness or compliance in gratifying another s wishes or desires, especially those which have no claim to… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • indulge — [v1] treat oneself or another to allow, baby, cater, coddle, cosset, delight, entertain, favor, foster, give in, give rein to*, go along, go easy on*, gratify, humor, mollycoddle*, nourish, oblige, pamper, pander, pet, please, regale, satiate,… …   New thesaurus

  • indulge — ► VERB 1) (indulge in) allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of. 2) satisfy or yield freely to (a desire or interest). 3) allow (someone) to do or have something. DERIVATIVES indulger noun. ORIGIN Latin indulgere give free rein to …   English terms dictionary

  • indulge — index bestow, enable, foster, furnish, give (grant), grant (concede), let (p …   Law dictionary

  • indulge — (v.) 1630s, to grant as a favor; 1650s, of both persons and desires, to treat with unearned favor; a back formation from INDULGENCE (Cf. indulgence), or else from L. indulgere to be complaisant. Related: Indulged; indulging …   Etymology dictionary

  • indulge */ — UK [ɪnˈdʌldʒ] / US verb Word forms indulge : present tense I/you/we/they indulge he/she/it indulges present participle indulging past tense indulged past participle indulged 1) [intransitive/transitive] to allow yourself to have or do something… …   English dictionary

  • indulge — in|dulge [ ın dʌldʒ ] verb * 1. ) intransitive or transitive to allow yourself to have or do something that you enjoy: indulge in: an opportunity to indulge in leisure activities like reading indulge yourself (in something): Indulge yourself come …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • indulge — 01. My wife loves to [indulge] in a nice glass of red wine on Fridays after work. 02. Our new spa lets you [indulge] yourself at a reasonable price. 03. His CD collection is his one [indulgence] that he spends a lot of money on. 04. His… …   Grammatical examples in English

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