confessional

1 of 2

noun

con·​fes·​sion·​al kən-ˈfesh-nəl 

-ˈfe-shə-nᵊl

1

: a place where a priest hears confessions

2

: the practice of confessing to a priest

confessional

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or being a confession especially of faith

2

a

: intimately autobiographical

confessional fiction

b

: characterized by unguarded openness or self-revelation

We live in a confessional culture, provoked by social media and the internet and the warmth of the human impulse to share and … commiserate.

—Megan Garber

confessionalism

kən-ˈfesh-nə-ˌli-zəm 

-ˈfe-shə-nə-ˌli-

noun

confessionalist

kən-ˈfesh-nə-list 

-ˈfe-shə-nə-list

noun

confessionally

kən-ˈfesh-nə-lē 

-ˈfe-shə-nᵊl-

adverb

Examples of confessional in a Sentence

Adjective

confessional interviews of famous actors

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As the mom of four, her husband Travis Barker and her mom prepare for the birth of Rocky, now 7 months, in the hospital room, the producers then cut to a confessional with the Poosh founder. —Emma Aerin Becker, Peoplemag, 20 June 2024

The scene then turns to a confessional in which Kardashian looks back at the scare several months earlier, pivoting to the reality star in a hospital bed after the surgery to remove fluid from Rocky’s lungs before his Nov. 1 birth. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 June 2024

Adjective

Directed by Irene Taylor (Leave No Trace, Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements), the film builds on the confessional energy of the Instagram video by inviting fans to bear witness to her struggles with SPS. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 June 2024

Tomlinson, 30, built her career as a stand-up comedian, winning fans with frank, confessional Netflix specials including this year’s Have It All and 2020's Quarter-Life Crisis. —Devan Coggan, EW.com, 17 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably borrowed from French confessional (short for chaire confessionale, siège confessional, literally, "confessional seat"), noun derivative of confessional, adjective, "constituting or used for a confession," borrowed from Medieval Latin confessiōnālis, from Latin confessiōn-, confessiō confession + -ālis -al entry 1

Adjective

borrowed from Medieval Latin confessiōnālis "constituting or used for a confession" — more at confessional entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1684, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

confessional

noun

con·​fes·​sion·​al

kən-ˈfesh-(ə-)nəl

1

: the enclosed place in which a priest sits and hears confessions

2

: the practice of confessing to a priest