indulgence
Giving in freely
Indulgence is the act of giving in to desires or appetites, especially pleasurable ones: a weekend of indulgence, chocolate is my one indulgence.
The word suggests permission rather than restraint—treating yourself or others permissively.
An indulgent parent lets children have what they want.
To beg your indulgence is to ask for patience or tolerance.
In Catholic history, an indulgence was a remission of punishment for sins, famously sold by the medieval church.
Spend freely, impulsively
- luxuryExpensive nonessential comfort
- pamperingLavish attentive care
- treatSomething pleasantly special
- chocolateSweet from cacao seeds
dessert · spa · massage · delicacy · gourmet · decadence · guilty pleasure · comfort food
Excessive consumption or enjoyment
- gluttonyGreedy excess in consumption
- surfeitExcessive quantity, often cloying
- intemperanceHabitual lack of restraint
- immoderationLack of self-restraint
overconsumption · bingeing · gorging · extravagance · profligacy · decadence · abandon · dissipation
Formal clearing of guilt
- dispensationOfficial permission to skip rules
- remissionTemporary disease absence
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
pardon · grace · redemption · sacrament · confession · sin · purgatory · tithe
Pleasure from satisfying desires
- enjoymentState of relishing something
- satisfactionState of fulfilled desires
- sensualityPursuit of physical pleasure
- hedonismPursuit of gratification
revelry · bliss · delight · euphoria · voluptuousness · sybaritic · epicurean · luxuriating
Willingness to accept difference
- forbearancePatient self-control, delayed enforcement
- patienceCalm during delays
- permissivenessTolerance of behavior others forbid
- clemencyMerciful treatment of offenders
mercy · compassion · understanding · gentleness · soft-heartedness · laxity · lenience · spoiling
splurge
Spend freely, impulsively
chocolate · dessert · spa · massage · delicacy · gourmet · decadence · guilty pleasure · comfort food · extravagance
overindulgence
Excessive consumption or enjoyment
- gluttonyGreedy excess in consumption
- surfeitExcessive quantity, often cloying
- intemperanceHabitual lack of restraint
immoderation · overconsumption · bingeing · gorging · extravagance · profligacy · decadence · abandon · dissipation · debauchery
absolution
Formal clearing of guilt
- dispensationOfficial permission to skip rules
- remissionTemporary disease absence
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
forgiveness · pardon · grace · redemption · sacrament · confession · sin · purgatory · tithe · salvation
gratification
Pleasure from satisfying desires
- enjoymentState of relishing something
- satisfactionState of fulfilled desires
- sensualityPursuit of physical pleasure
hedonism · revelry · bliss · delight · euphoria · voluptuousness · sybaritic · epicurean · luxuriating · savoring
tolerance
Willingness to accept difference
- forbearancePatient self-control, delayed enforcement
- patienceCalm during delays
- permissivenessTolerance of behavior others forbid
clemency · mercy · compassion · understanding · gentleness · soft-heartedness · laxity · lenience · spoiling · coddling
- indulgenceoverindulgence, pamper, pamper yourself, treat yourself, hedonism
- pleasurepleasure, enjoyment, delight, gratification, contentment
- Catholic ChurchVatican, papacy, cardinals, popes, papal
- religionChristianity, Islam, beliefs, Judaism, Hinduism
- bad habitssmoking, drinking, lying, swearing, gossiping
- forgivenessforgiveness of sins, redemption, absolve, mercy, grace
indulgenceself-denial
Restraining one's own desires
abstinence · self-restraint · self-control · restraint · asceticism
indulgencestrictness
Inflexibility in enforcement
severity · harshness · sternness · rigor · discipline
indulgencenecessity
Indispensable requirement
essential · basic · fundamental · requirement · must
- guilty indulgencePleasure tinged with shame
- sinful indulgence
- papal indulgencesChurch-granted sin remission
- excessive indulgenceImmoderate gratification of desires
- indulgent treatsPleasurable excess items
- indulgent giftGenerous, unnecessary present