Meaning & use
food indulgence
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
the act of allowing yourself to enjoy a special or expensive food, often more than usual
Grammar: Can be countable (a food indulgence) or uncountable (too much food indulgence); often used with 'a' or 'an' when referring to one instance.
Patterns
- a food indulgence
- food indulgences
- indulge in a food indulgence
After a week of strict dieting, she allowed herself a small food indulgence: a piece of dark chocolate.
The restaurant's menu is full of food indulgences like truffle fries and triple-layer cake.
He sees his weekly pizza as a harmless food indulgence.
nouncountable
a particular rich or luxurious food that you eat for pleasure rather than health
Grammar: Countable when referring to specific items; can be plural: 'These food indulgences are hard to resist.'
Patterns
- a food indulgence
- food indulgences
Cream puffs are my favorite food indulgence.
The shop sells gourmet food indulgences such as caviar and champagne.
For many, ice cream is the ultimate summer food indulgence.
Word forms
| plural | food indulgences |
|---|
Common combinations
- a guilty food indulgence
- She called her nightly bowl of ice cream a guilty food indulgence.
- occasional food indulgence
- An occasional food indulgence is fine as long as you eat well most of the time.
- give in to a food indulgence
- He gave in to a food indulgence and ordered the cheesecake.
- healthy food indulgence
- Dark chocolate can be a healthy food indulgence in small amounts.
Synonyms and how they differ
- treat
- Treat is more everyday and can refer to any enjoyable thing, not just food; food indulgence sounds more formal and specifically about eating.
- luxury
- Luxury emphasizes expense and rarity; food indulgence emphasizes pleasure and allowing yourself something, even if it is not expensive.
- binge
- Binge is stronger and often negative, suggesting eating too much in an uncontrolled way; food indulgence is usually milder and more positive.
Opposites
Word family
- indulge verb
- to allow yourself or someone else to enjoy something pleasant
- indulgent adjective
- willing to allow too much pleasure or comfort
- indulgence noun
- the act of allowing yourself something enjoyable
Commonly confused: food indulgence or food addiction?
food indulgence vs food addiction
Food addiction is a serious medical condition; food indulgence is a mild, occasional treat and does not imply loss of control.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'food indulgence' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Food indulgence' is a noun phrase meaning a treat you allow yourself, so 'enjoyed a food indulgence of chocolate cake' fits. Option A uses the wrong preposition ('for' should be 'in' or the phrase should be 'indulges in'), option C confuses it with a quality of the food itself, and option D invents a verb form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “food indulgence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.