indulge

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb indulge contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of indulge are baby, humor, mollycoddle, pamper, and spoil. While all these words 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

Where would baby be a reasonable alternative to indulge?

While in some cases nearly identical to indulge, baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude.

babying students by grading too easily

When could humor be used to replace indulge?

The words humor and indulge can be used in similar contexts, but humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims.

humored him by letting him tell the story

When would mollycoddle be a good substitute for indulge?

While the synonyms mollycoddle and indulge are close in meaning, mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare.

refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

When is it sensible to use pamper instead of indulge?

The words pamper and indulge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect.

pampered by the amenities of modern living

When can spoil be used instead of indulge?

In some situations, the words spoil and indulge are roughly equivalent. However, spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering.

foolish parents spoil their children

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of indulge Some adults want their children to develop AI literacy; others see chatbots as a way to indulge young kids’ endless curiosities or engage their creativity. Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 14 July 2025 Trump previously appeared to indulge an antisemitic trope of Jewish people controlling things behind the scenes. Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 July 2025 There is one activity in which many inhabitants of that land freely indulge. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 Baker, 37, indulged them, starting out of her Fairfax, Calif., living room a finance club that eventually became her present-day financial education startup, Dow Janes — which boasts an Instagram following of nearly half a million. Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for indulge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indulge
Verb
  • And here’s the story, courtesy of a nudge from Snell, who by sheer serendipity soon after that initial email was offered two seats immediately behind the delightful source of a noise that gratifies some and grates others.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2025
  • The Baseball Hall of Fame award recipient and Dodger ambassador called himself a proud immigrant, saying he was gratified that the team pledged to donate $1 million for immigrant families impacted by raids.
    Helen Jeong, NBC news, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • The stamp — which features a detailed image of the British troops surrendering — caught Bob Chisholm’s eye and started his love of stamp collecting.
    Lillian Ashworth, Oc Register, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Meanwhile, the Twins’ offense had few answers for Boston starter Lucas Giolito, who pitched six innings and surrendered one run on Lee’s double to bring home Bader.
    Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 30 July 2025
Verb
  • Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.
    Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.
    Monica Mark, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • German consumers are harder to please and demand higher speeds over long distances which EVs can’t handle.
    Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
  • Even the staunchest traditionalists can find a pie to please.
    Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • More than 55 years ago, three astronauts en route to the moon had to abandon their dreams of reaching the lunar surface when their spacecraft encountered some serious trouble.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 28 July 2025
  • Minority languages were banned in schools, tribal leaders were silenced, and communities were pressured to abandon their heritage and conform to a rigid Persian identity.
    Jila Andalib, Hartford Courant, 28 July 2025
Verb
  • Yachts have several stewards whose primary duty is to pamper, one chef cooking for a small group, the ability to select menus ahead of time, and the freedom to choose destinations.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 13 July 2025
  • Many pet owners love to pamper and praise their animal companions, and there are small business owners who are quick to oblige.
    Erin Federigan, Mercury News, 2 July 2025
Verb
  • Insiders say DiCaprio worked the room like a pro — posing for selfies and humoring FaceTime calls from starstruck daughters.
    Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025
  • Who else will stage Chris Fleming’s plays, or humor Pete Holmes’s dad jokes, or let Lauren Cook call in a bit?
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 June 2025
Verb
  • Nuts are a crunchy, satisfying snack packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
    Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 28 July 2025
  • What was [satisfying] about that was a lot of those students ended up living very fulfilling lives.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 28 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Indulge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indulge. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

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