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Definition of "self-indulgence" [self•-in•dul•gence]

  • Excessive indulgence of one's own appetites and desires. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "self-indulgence" in a sentence
  • "I believed neurosis was just another name for self-indulgence, that a no-nonsense attitude and plenty of outdoor exercise were of far more use than complaining to a psychologist."
  • "Francis Wayland, a prominent theologian, antislavery activist, and longtime president of Brown University in the decades before the Civil War, spoke for many of the cloth when he warned that “thoughtless caprice,” “sensual self-indulgence,” and “reckless expense” were not only sinful but also socially ruinous."
  • "If someone gains weight because of the same cause, for example, overeats instead of undereats in response to depression, the person is viewed with contempt instead of sympathy, and medical problems are ignored or seen as a result of self-indulgence."