guilty pleasure

noun

: something pleasurable that induces a usually minor feeling of guilt

Examples of guilty pleasure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Every self-respecting nation has a fatal habit that helps define it—a guilty pleasure its citizens indulge in despite the scoffing of foreigners, and because doing so almost proves that their identity is worth dying for. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 11 June 2025 Desserts ranged from the Bodega Special Cosmic Brownie, presumably reminiscent of your favorite grocery store guilty pleasure, and a powdered sugar donut mousse—hungry yet? About the Tablescape Lagavi also posted details from the table that added to the experience. Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2025 There’s a way that politics is discussed almost as accoutrement or guilty pleasure. Arielle Angel, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025 Now Hallmark is doubling down on that guilty pleasure TV, in an effort to keep viewers engaged outside of the traditional Christmas season, on both its linear channel and streaming option. Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for guilty pleasure

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guilty pleasure was in 1907

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Cite this Entry

“Guilty pleasure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guilty%20pleasure. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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