guilty indulgence
Secret sinful treat
A guilty indulgence is something enjoyed despite knowing it's unhealthy, lowbrow, or otherwise not quite respectable: Ice cream at midnight is my guilty indulgence, Reality TV is a guilty indulgence I'd never admit to at work.
The phrase acknowledges pleasure while preemptively excusing it.
Often shortened to guilty pleasure.
- pleasureHappy, satisfied feeling
- sinViolation of divine law
- treatSomething pleasantly special
- decadentSelf-indulgent, often corruptly
- forbiddenNot allowed
chocolate · shameful · secret · craving · temptation · dessert · comfort food · splurge · naughty · vice · weakness · cheat day · binge · Netflix binge · luxurious · cheat · sinful · cake
guilty indulgencebare necessity
basic requirement · subsistence · daily bread · bread and water
guilty indulgenceself-denial
Restraining one's own desires
abstinence · asceticism · restraint · temperance · self-discipline
guilty, indulgence, guilt, guiltily, guiltiness, guiltless, guilts, indulge, indulgent