CONFESSOR Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

confessor

noun

Definition of confessor

as in chaplain

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of confessor Drawn to her difference, neighbors and coworkers treat Pavitra as a confessor and sounding board for their own preoccupations. — Miriam Gershow, Literary Hub, 1 Dec. 2025 Instead, the central question and driving force is how Aggie and Brian will lure Nile out of the walled fortress afforded by wealth and into the trap of spilling his guts to a confessor. — Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025 The automatic consequence for a confessor who breaks the seal of confession is excommunication – that is, banned, at least temporarily, from the sacraments of the church. — Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025 In many cases, the handler is simultaneously confessor, babysitter, psychologist, spiritual mentor and surrogate family member. — Yossi Melman, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for confessor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for confessor

Noun

In the execution chamber, a prison chaplain rested his hand on Ramey's shoulder before leading him in a brief prayer.

— James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
So, when the FDNY counted its dead – which also included an EMT, paramedic and chaplain – the 27-year-old was left out.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of chaplain

Noun

In 2018, Father Jan Kevin Schmidt, rector of the cathedral, requested that the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments grant the title of minor basilica to the historic church in Cincinnati.

— Jennie Key, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2026
Pernkopf was a Nazi functionary who became dean of the medical faculty in 1938 and rector of the university in 1943.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of rector

Noun

The couple were married by a female vicar, per the Daily Mail.

— Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
Nearly every murder is solved by the end of the episode, but despite the unusual twist of having the village vicar team up with the police, the real action comes from the relationships among the characters.

— Pat Saperstein, Variety, 14 June 2026

Definition of vicar

Noun

This one stars Cox himself as a mysterious and formidable old man in an undertaker’s suit and parson’s hat who wanders into an Arizona border town in 1890 to gather the names of dead Mexican laborers.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
And what does the old man who sleeps by the fire know about the dead parson?

— Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026

Definition of parson

Noun

The abbot eventually suspended the monk from his clerical duties a few months ago and the pair’s relationship worsened, per the outlet.

— Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
The court found that Shi used his positions, including as the temple abbot, to illegally embezzle more than $19 million alone or in conspiracy with others, between 2003 and 2025, CCTV reported.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

Definition of abbot

Noun

After Sheen's time in the Archdiocese of New York, he was appointed Bishop of Rochester in 1966 and then was named an archbishop in 1969.

— Aleja Hertzler-McCain, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026
Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, along with two orders of nuns, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor, filed a lawsuit last week to block Illinois’ assisted suicide law.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of archbishop

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“Confessor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confessor. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of confessor

noun

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