Meaning & use
indulgently
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Meanings
adverb
In a way that shows you are willing to let someone have or do what they want, often more than is good for them.
Grammar: Modifies a verb or adjective: smiled indulgently, indulgently tolerant.
Patterns
- smile indulgently
- look at someone indulgently
- speak indulgently to someone
She smiled indulgently at her grandson's messy painting.
He spoke indulgently to his younger sister, letting her win the game.
The teacher looked indulgently at the students who arrived late.
adverb
In a way that allows yourself or someone else to enjoy something, often without restraint.
Grammar: Often used with verbs like 'eat', 'drink', or 'spend'.
Patterns
- eat indulgently
- spend indulgently
- live indulgently
They ate indulgently at the all-you-can-eat buffet.
He spent indulgently on gadgets he didn't need.
She lived indulgently for a year before saving money.
Common combinations
- smile indulgently
- The mother smiled indulgently when her child asked for another cookie.
- look at someone indulgently
- He looked at her indulgently as she told her silly story.
- speak indulgently
- The grandfather spoke indulgently to the twins.
- indulgently tolerant
- The manager was indulgently tolerant of small mistakes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- permissively
- Focuses on allowing freedom, often with a neutral or negative tone; 'indulgently' often suggests affection.
- leniently
- Used more for punishment or rules; 'indulgently' is more about pleasure or kindness.
- fondly
- Shows love or affection, but not necessarily the idea of allowing too much.
Opposites
Word family
- indulgent adjective
- Willing to allow someone to have or do what they want.
- indulgence noun
- The act of allowing yourself or someone else something enjoyable.
- indulge verb
- To allow yourself or someone else to enjoy something.
Commonly confused: indulgently or indigently?
indulgently vs indigently
Means 'in a very poor way'; it sounds similar but comes from 'indigent' (very poor).
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'indulgently' correctly:
Choose one answer.
'Indulgently' is the adverb form, needed to modify the verb 'smiled'. 'Indulgent' is an adjective and cannot modify a verb; 'indulgence' is a noun; 'indulging' is a participle and would need a different structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “indulgently”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.