confessional

1 of 2

noun

con·​fes·​sion·​al kən-ˈfe-sh(ə-)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-ˈfe-sh(ə-)nə-ˌli-zəm 

noun

confessionalist

kən-ˈfe-sh(ə-)nə-list 

noun

confessionally

kən-ˈfe-sh(ə-)nə-lē 

adverb

Examples of confessional in a Sentence

Adjective

confessional interviews of famous actors

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Elise loudly says in the confessional. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

The group’s former friend Pickle (Emma Chamberlain) is the source of much of that darkness, along with the girls’ often vulnerable confessionals in the fitting room mirror. —Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026

Adjective

The visual style, combined with Graczyk’s emotionally penetrating writing and the nakedly confessional performances, makes this both a key Altman work and a great case study for filmmakers trying to figure out how to create a sense of scale with limited funds. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 1 May 2026

With her relentlessly melodic fourth album, Maitreya Corso (out today), Maya Hawke is starting to establish a sonic lane of her own, combining Aimee Mann-level musicality with hyper-literate, polygraph-test confessional lyrics. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 1 May 2026

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

Rhymes for confessional

• compressional
• concessional
• congressional
• obsessional
• processional
• professional
• recessional
• successional
• interprofessional
• paraprofessional
• semiprofessional
• nonprofessional

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