Dictionary

confession en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /kənˈfɛʃən/
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English confessioun, from Old French confession, from Latin cōnfessiō, cōnfessiōnem (“confession, acknowledgment, creed or avowal of one's faith”). Displaced native Old English andetnes. Doublet of confessio. Morphologically confess + -ion. Sense 6 is a calque of 告白 (kokuhaku).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The open admittance of having done something (especially something bad).
   • With a crafty madness keeps aloof, / When we would bring him on to some confession / Of his true state. c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
   • If you’re looking for juicier confessions – that is, admissions of the kinds of sins unearthed on detective shows or reality TV – then you’ll want to look elsewhere. My sinning life is rather uneventful. 2014 November 12, James Martin, “Confessions of a Catholic priest”, in CNN:
   • Without the real murderer's confession, an innocent person could be jailed.
   • That all changed last month when 37-year-old Peralta borrowed a phone, called police and made a blunt confession to a crime he says he committed nearly 15 years ago, according to an arrest affidavit. 2023 June 2, Cheri Mossburg, Andi Babineau and Christal Hayes, “‘I’m just tired of covering it up’: Guilt drives man to confess to murder 15 years after killing, police say”, in CNN:
2. (countable, uncountable) A formal document providing such an admission.
   • He forced me to sign a confession!
   • Both the basic idea of confession, and the techniques devised by Yezhov for extracting them, however, were to receive significant employment in Asia in the 1950s. The Chinese accused the Americans of waging bacteriological warfare in Korea. The evidence they produced consisted of feathers, insects, clams, rats, and other things riddled with germs and allegedly dropped from American planes. Such evidence was not, on the face of it, very convincing - though even this was accepted by one type of Westerner. To fortify their case, the Chinese resorted to confessions, extracted from American pilots. 1968, Robert Conquest, The Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Thirties, Macmillan Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 493:
3. (countable, uncountable) The disclosure of one's sins to a priest for absolution. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is now also termed the sacrament of reconciliation.
   • I went to confession and now I feel much better about what I had done.
   • Hauing diſpleaſ'd my Father, to Lawrence Cell, / To make confeſſion, and to be abſolu'd. c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:
4. (countable, uncountable) Acknowledgment of belief; profession of one's faith.
   • With the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 10:10:
5. (countable, uncountable) A formula in which the articles of faith are comprised; a creed to be assented to or signed, as a preliminary to admission to membership of a church; a confession of faith.
6. (Japanese, countable, uncountable) The act of professing one's love.

Forms

Deriveds

confession booth · nonconfession · confessional · every accusation is a confession · anticonfession · Aaron's confession · confession box · confessionless

Relateds

confess

Translations (226)

sv erkännande (open admittance) · ru и́споведь (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · fi tunnustus (open admittance) · tr günah çıkarma (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · be вызна́нне (acknowledgment of belief) · ja 告解 (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · lo ການສາລະພາບ (open admittance) · ro confesiune (open admittance) · nb skriftemål (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · et ülestunnistus (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · uk віровизна́ння (acknowledgment of belief) · sh призна́ње (open admittance) · ro mărturisire (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · be веравызна́нне (acknowledgment of belief) · ro mărturisire (open admittance) · ka აღსარება (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ps اقرار (open admittance) · hi इकरार (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · hi स्वीकारोक्ति (open admittance) · lo ສາລະພາບ (open admittance) · fi tunnustus (document) · th สารภาพ (open admittance) · hi एतिराफ़ (open admittance) · cmn 交代 (open admittance) · ms pengakuan dosa (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · uk призна́ння (open admittance) · cmn 坦白 (open admittance) · sv bikt (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · be прызна́ньне (open admittance) · tg иътироф (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sq pranim (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · he וִדּוּי (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sk priznanie (open admittance) · be вызна́ньне (open admittance) · pl zwierzenie (open admittance) · hy խոստովանություն (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · it confessione (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ar طَائِفَة (acknowledgment of belief) · ca confessió (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · bg признание (open admittance) · sh priznánje (open admittance) · ja 自白 (open admittance) · hi इक़रार (open admittance) · az iqrar (open admittance) · ko 고해 (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sh ѝспове̄ст (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · uk визнаття́ (open admittance) · uz tavba (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · uk визна́ння (acknowledgment of belief) · ur اِقْرار (open admittance) · be вызна́ньне (acknowledgment of belief) · uk спо́відь (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · az iqrar (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · da skrifte (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ru конфе́ссия (acknowledgment of belief) · ar اِعْتِرَاف (open admittance) · de Geständnis (open admittance) · ang andetnes (open admittance) · sh и̏спове̄д (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · he וידוי (open admittance) · tg иқрор (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · uz iqror (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · fur confession (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · hu vallomás (open admittance) · ug ئىقرار (open admittance) · cs zpověď (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · fi rippi (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · da bekendelse (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · az tövbə (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · da tilståelse (open admittance) · pt confissão (acknowledgment of belief) · tr ikrar (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · pl wyznanie (acknowledgment of belief) · ps اقرار (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · he וידוי (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · hi इक़बाल (open admittance) · uk віросповіда́ння (acknowledgment of belief) · pdt Bekjantniss (open admittance) · la cōnfessiō (open admittance) · fr confession (open admittance) · ka სარწმუნოება (acknowledgment of belief) · bg вероизповедание (acknowledgment of belief) · sl priznanje (open admittance) · el εξομολόγηση (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sk spoveď (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · pt confissão (open admittance) · ca confessió (open admittance) · uz iqror (open admittance) · hi पाप-स्वीकरण (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · fa-ira اِعْتِراف (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ja 懺悔 (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sh ìspovijēst (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ka ცნობა (open admittance) · lt išpažintis (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · pl spowiedź (open admittance) · cmn 供狀 /供状 (document) · lv atzīšanās (open admittance) · ko 고백 (open admittance) · id pengakuan (open admittance) · ps اعتراف (open admittance) · io konfesiono (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · mk исповед (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · cs přiznání (open admittance) · tl kumpisal (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ja 自供 (open admittance) · fa-ira اِعْتِراف (open admittance) · ps اعتراف (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · cmn 自供 (open admittance) · ar إِقْرَار (open admittance) · ru призна́ние (document) · lv grēksūdze (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · oc confession (open admittance) · ka აღსარება (acknowledgment of belief) · cs vyznání (open admittance) · hi संस्वीकृति (open admittance) · ro spovedire (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · tl pagtatapat (open admittance) · ur اِعْتِراف (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sh ѝсповије̄ст (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ko 참회 (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · pl wyznanie (open admittance) · pt confissão (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ja 告白 (open admittance) · is játning (open admittance) · ang andetnes (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ja 白状 (open admittance) · cmn 自供狀 /自供状 (document) · ug ئىقرار (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · es confesión (acknowledgment of belief) · km សារភាព (open admittance) · ru призна́ние (open admittance) · uk визна́ння (open admittance) · tr itiraf (open admittance) · got 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍄 (open admittance) · gl confesión (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · nl biecht (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · hy խոստովանություն (open admittance) · vi xưng tội (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · fi uskontunnustus (formula) · kmr mikûr (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sk vyznanie (open admittance) · sh ȉspovijēd (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · txb teśit (open admittance) · kmr îqrar (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · cmn 自白 (open admittance) · az etiraf (open admittance) · sh и̏сповије̄д (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · grc ἐξομολόγησις (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ar إِقْرَار (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · az etiraf (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ru вероиспове́дание (acknowledgment of belief) · cmn 供詞 /供词 (document) · be вызна́нне (open admittance) · mi whākinga (open admittance) · gv feyshtyn (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · be канфе́сія (acknowledgment of belief) · kk тәубе (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · km ការសារភាព (open admittance) · be веравызна́ньне (acknowledgment of belief) · ro recunoaștere (open admittance) · tg иқрор (open admittance) · gd èisteachd (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sh ìspovēst (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · uk конфе́сія (acknowledgment of belief) · ko 자백 (open admittance) · sh ȉspovēd (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ga faoistin (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · pl spowiedź (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · tr tevbe (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · it confessione (open admittance) · fy bycht (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · nb tilståelse (open admittance) · de Eingeständnis (open admittance) · be прызна́нне (open admittance) · pl konfesja (acknowledgment of belief) · fi uskontunnustus (acknowledgment of belief) · be спо́ведзь (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ar اِعْتِرَاف (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · de Beichte (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · he וִדּוּי (open admittance) · es confesión (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sv medgivande (open admittance) · cmn 懺悔 /忏悔 (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · nl bekentenis (open admittance) · fro confession (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · fi synnintunnustus (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · gl confesión (open admittance) · eo konfeso (open admittance) · fur confession (open admittance) · fa-ira اِقْرار (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · kmr îtîraf (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ka რჯული (acknowledgment of belief) · pl przyznanie się (open admittance) · tg эътироф (open admittance) · ur اِقْرار (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ro confesiune (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ka აღიარება (open admittance) · cmn 承認 /承认 (open admittance) · ga admháil (open admittance) · ms pengakuan (open admittance) · hu gyónás (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · tr itiraf (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · tr ikrar (open admittance) · mk признавање (open admittance) · de Bekenntnis (open admittance) · cmn 供認 /供认 (open admittance) · de Bekenntnis (acknowledgment of belief) · th การสารภาพ (open admittance) · lt prisipažinimas (open admittance) · fr confession (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · la cōnfessiō (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · es confesión (open admittance) · pl wyspowiadanie się (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · ka აღმსარებლობა (acknowledgment of belief) · tg омурзиш (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · bg изповед (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · mi whākinga (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · sl spoved (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · lv atzīšanās (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · cy cyffes (open admittance) · ky тобо кылуу (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · cu исповѣдь (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · hi इक़रार (disclosure of one's sins to a priest) · fa-ira اِقْرار (open admittance) · cmn 自白書 /自白书 (document) · sv bekännelse (open admittance)