Meanings
plural indulgences · alternative dated indulgency · alternative archaic indulgement
- countableuncountableThe act of indulging.
As indulgence in several wives depended mainly on the length of a man's purse, the poor naturally contented themselves with monogamy.
1922, Maneckji Nusservanji Dhalla, Zoroastrian Civilization, page 2201 more example
will all they that either through indulgence to others or fondness to any sin in themselves, substitute for repentance any thing that is less than a sincere, uniform resolution of new obedience
1654, H[enry] Hammond, Of Fundamentals in a Notion Referring to Practise, London: […] J[ames] Flesher for Richard Royston, […], →OCLC - countableuncountableTolerance.
- countableuncountableThe act of catering to someone's every desire.
- countableuncountableSomething in which someone indulges.
I made but one error—giving way to petulance in the earlier instance; that lost me the Prince of Conti. Temper is bourgeois indulgence, though I own to a predilection for it.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter I, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 5 - countableuncountableAn indulgent act; a favour granted; gratification.
If all these gracious indulgences are without any effect on us, we must perish in our own folly.
a. 1729, John Rogers, The Goodness of God a Motive to Repentance - countableuncountableCatholicismA pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory, after the sinner has been granted absolution.
To understand how indulgences were intended to work depends on linking together a number of assumptions about sin and the afterlife, each of which individually makes considerable sense.
2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 555
present singular third person indulgences · participle present indulgencing · participle past indulgenced · past indulgenced · alternative dated indulgency · alternative archaic indulgement
- transitiveCatholicismTo provide with an indulgence.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan inability to resist the gratification of whims and desires
nouna disposition to yield to the wishes of someone
nounthe act of indulging or gratifying a desire
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinindulgentia
- Middle Frenchindulgence
- Middle Englishindulgence
- Englishindulgence
From Middle English indulgence, indulgens, from Middle French indulgence and its source, Latin indulgentia.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πλησμονή
- πλησμονή (plēsmonḗ)act of indulging
Arabic صَكّ غُفْرَان
- صَكّ غُفْرَان (ṣakk ḡufrān)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Bulgarian задоволяване, търпимост
- задоволяване (zadovoljavane)act of indulging
- търпимост (tărpimost)tolerance
- привилегия (privilegija)something in which someone indulges
- индулгенция (indulgencija)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Catalan indulgència
- indulgènciapardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Czech odpustek
- odpustekpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Danish aflad
- afladpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Dutch aflaat
- aflaatpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Finnish hemmottelu, suvaitsevaisuus
- hemmotteluact of indulging
- suvaitsevaisuustolerance
- hemmottelucatering to someone's every desire
- hemmottelusomething in which someone indulges
- viettelyssomething in which someone indulges
- hemmotteluindulgent act; favour granted; gratification
- anepardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- lievityspardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
French indulgence, indulgence
- indulgenceact of indulging
- indulgencepardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
German Nachgiebigkeit, Nachsicht
- Nachgiebigkeitact of indulging
- Nachsichtact of indulging
- Mildeact of indulging
- Nachsichtigkeitact of indulging
- Duldsamkeittolerance
- Duldungtolerance
- Verwöhnencatering to someone's every desire
- Verwöhnungcatering to someone's every desire
- Schwächesomething in which someone indulges
- Hobbysomething in which someone indulges
- Gnadeindulgent act; favour granted; gratification
- Gnadenbezeigungindulgent act; favour granted; gratification
Greek ανοχή, επιείκεια
- ανοχή (anochí)tolerance
- επιείκεια (epieíkeia)tolerance
- κανάκεμα (kanákema)catering to someone's every desire
- παραχάιδεμα (paracháidema)catering to someone's every desire
- απόλαυση (apólafsi)something in which someone indulges
- πολυτέλεια (polytéleia)something in which someone indulges
- συγχωροχάρτι (synchorochárti)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- συχωροχάρτι (sychorochárti)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Hebrew הִתְפַּנְּקוּת, הִתְפַּנְּקוּת
- הִתְפַּנְּקוּת (hitpanqút)act of indulging
- הִתְפַּנְּקוּת (hitpanqút)something in which someone indulges
Hungarian élvezet, hódolat
- élvezetact of indulging
- hódolatact of indulging
- kiélvezésact of indulging
- elnézéstolerance
- engedékenységtolerance
- lágyszívűségtolerance
- kényeztetéscatering to someone's every desire
- kedvében járáscatering to someone's every desire
- élvezetsomething in which someone indulges
- örömforrássomething in which someone indulges
- szórakozássomething in which someone indulges
- szenvedélysomething in which someone indulges
Icelandic aflát
- aflátpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Italian vizio, vizio
- vizioact of indulging
- viziosomething in which someone indulges
- indulgenzapardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Korean 면벌
- 면벌 (myeonbeol)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Latin venia, indulgentia
- veniaindulgent act; favour granted; gratification
- indulgentiapardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Māori whakawairekatanga
- whakawairekatangaact of indulging
Norwegian Bokmål avlat
- avlatpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Persian افراط
- افراط (efrât)act of indulging
Polish odpust
- odpustpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Portuguese indulgência, indulgência
- indulgênciaact of indulging
- indulgênciatolerance
- indulgênciaindulgent act; favour granted; gratification
- indulgênciapardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- indultopardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Romanian îngăduire, tolerare
- îngăduireact of indulging
- tolerareact of indulging
- indulgențătolerance
- indulgențăpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Russian снисхожде́ние, снисходи́тельность
- снисхожде́ние (snisxoždénije)tolerance
- снисходи́тельность (snisxodítelʹnostʹ)tolerance
- терпи́мость (terpímostʹ)tolerance
- потака́ние (potakánije)catering to someone's every desire
- потво́рство (potvórstvo)catering to someone's every desire
- индульге́нция (indulʹgéncija)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- отпуще́ние грехо́в (otpuščénije grexóv)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Spanish indulgencia
- indulgenciapardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Swedish avlat
- avlatpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Tagalog indulhensiya
- indulhensiyapardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Thai ใบบุญ
- ใบบุญ (bai-bun)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Turkish müsamaha, hoşgörü
- müsamahatolerance
- hoşgörütolerance
- müsamahapardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- hoşgörüpardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- yarlıgamapardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Ukrainian індульге́нція, відпу́щення гріхі́в
- індульге́нція (indulʹhéncija)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- відпу́щення гріхі́в (vidpúščennja hrixív)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- ві́дпуст (vídpust)pardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
Vietnamese ơn xá, ân xá
- ơn xápardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- ân xápardon or release from the expectation of punishment in purgatory
- ban ơn xáto provide with an indulgence
- xá tộito provide with an indulgence
- tha tộito provide with an indulgence
Cite this entry
indulgence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/indulgence
“indulgence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/indulgence. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “indulgence,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/indulgence.
Source: indulgence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.