1
as in pleases
to give in to (a desire)
the grandparents indulged the child's wishes to an extent that they never did with their own children
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surrenders
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly
conventioneers who were obviously eager to indulge themselves in all of the vices that Las Vegas might offer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in spoils
to treat with great or excessive care
you indulge those grandkids in ways you never did with your own kids
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of indulges
Raimi indulges Send Help’s gore and gross-out moments with the zest of someone returning to his cult-favorite roots.
—
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Evolution occasionally indulges us with organisms that seem too cool or too scary to be true, like something out of a science fiction film.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
As for Princess Lilibet, 4, her mother indulges one of her current interests.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
The falling soufflé as a symbol of the crumbling hotel is the kind of heavy-handed touch Solnicki rarely indulges.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
So much eye-candy value is maximized by David Schuurman’s widescreen photography, which frequently indulges us further with sweeping drone’s-eye views of spectacular landscapes.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Evolution occasionally indulges us with organisms that seem too cool or too scary to be true, like something out of a science fiction film.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
As for Princess Lilibet, 4, her mother indulges one of her current interests.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
The falling soufflé as a symbol of the crumbling hotel is the kind of heavy-handed touch Solnicki rarely indulges.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
So much eye-candy value is maximized by David Schuurman’s widescreen photography, which frequently indulges us further with sweeping drone’s-eye views of spectacular landscapes.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indulges
Verb
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His fervor for society pleases his mother Violet (Ruth Gemmell), but also frustrates her to the point of squeezing Penelope for information.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
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The new emphasis, and the current EPA’s view that economic interests should be critical to environmental rules, pleases many business groups.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Peter then surrenders to Catherine, who demands his explanation for going AWOL.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
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Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby are the secret weapons, and Nora Ephron's script never surrenders to sentimentality.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
USA Today,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This post spoils the entirety of Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 (the first four episodes).—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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Sinners leading all nominees by a record-breaking margin could shake up the Oscar race, which seemed destined to come down to One Battle After Another and Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet (the two films recently shared the Best Picture spoils at the Golden Globes).—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By virtue of its sheer scale, everything that gratifies us about submarine cables feels amplified a hundredfold in 2Africa; the same goes for everything that worries us.—
Samanth Subramanian,
The Dial,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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O’Hara found her highest-profile role in Home Alone (1990), as a harried suburban mom who accidentally abandons her 8-year-old son.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
10 Feb. 2026
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The second abandons the intellectual framework that apparently motivated Warsh’s interest in the position.—
Daniel J. Arbess,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Her father — struggling with poverty and the grief over his wife's death — wants to shoot it, but Jessica secretly nurses the animal back to health, bringing her closer to her father in the process.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
IndyStar,
25 Nov. 2025
Verb
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Simon Makin,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Eva’s romance with her husband, Franklin Plaskett, delights and amazes her.—
Adelle Waldman,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Since then, the British government has worked tirelessly to carve out a deal that satisfies Mauritius without losing its defensive foothold.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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There is a profound sadness in the way the ‘good people’ here settle on a version of truth that satisfies their own worldview.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Indulges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indulges. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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