noun · neutral

indulgence

/ɪnˈdʌldʒəns/in·DUL·gence

Band 7+speakingtask2

an act of allowing oneself to enjoy something pleasurable, often to excess or with some guilt.

Examples

Having a slice of cake after dinner felt like a small indulgence.

For many students, a late-night movie is a guilty indulgence during exam week.

He tries to limit his indulgences, but he loves good coffee.

Band 8 sentence

Allowing myself the occasional indulgence—like a long, uninterrupted evening of reading—helps me stay motivated.

Collocations

  • guilty indulgence
  • small indulgence

Word family

indulge verbindulgent adjective

Common mistakes

I indulged chocolate yesterday.I indulged in chocolate yesterday.

My biggest indulgence is music.My biggest indulgence is listening to music.

Say it for a higher band

5treat6luxury7+indulgence

Synonyms

treat

Easily confused

treat

After finishing his exams, he bought himself a small treat.

Related words

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