Word
confession
Phoneticscon·fes·sion, stress on the second syllable
US/kənˈfɛʃən/
UK/kənfˈɛʃən/
Definitions
01admitting a fault
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. the act of telling the truth about something bad or secret you did.
n. the voluntary admission of a fault, crime, or secret. Often used with the verb 'make'.
“After hours of questioning, he finally made a full confession to the police.”
“The suspect's confession was eventually thrown out of court because the defense proved it had been obtained under extreme duress.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02religious ritual
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Religion
n. telling your sins to a priest in order to be forgiven.
n. the ritual disclosure of sins to a priest for the purpose of receiving absolution.
“He went to confession every Saturday to seek peace of mind.”
“In many Christian traditions, the seal of confession prohibits a priest from revealing anything discussed during the sacrament.”
Synonyms
03statement of faith
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Religion Formal
n. a formal statement of what a person or a group believes.
n. a formal statement of religious doctrine or a profession of faith.
“The church members stood to recite their confession of faith together.”
“The Augsburg Confession remains one of the most significant documents of the Protestant Reformation, outlining the primary theological tenets of the movement.”
Synonyms
04declaring love
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal
n. telling someone that you have romantic feelings for them.
n. the act of professing romantic feelings or love to another person.
“She was nervous before her confession of love, but he felt the same way.”
“The protagonist's sudden confession of love at the end of the film provided the emotional resolution the audience had been expecting.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “confession” in context.
Verb
01. elicit a confession
“The detective's calm approach eventually elicited a full confession regarding the stolen documents.”
verb + noun
02. extract a confession
“The investigators were accused of using unethical tactics to extract a confession from the suspect.”
verb + noun
03. sign a confession
“After hours of questioning, he finally agreed to sign a written confession.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. a candid confession
“In a candid confession, the CEO admitted that the company was facing a severe financial crisis.”
adj + noun
05. a coerced confession
“The defense lawyer argued that the coerced confession should be inadmissible in court.”
adj + noun
06. a deathbed confession
“The mystery was only solved decades later following a deathbed confession by one of the witnesses.”
adj + noun
Noun
07. a confession of guilt
“The defendant's confession of guilt led to a significantly reduced sentence.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
08. by his own confession
“By his own confession, he had never actually read the contract before signing it.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“Suspects were tortured into giving false confessions and crime scene evidence was manipulated.” “He listened to tapes of their confessions in his study.” 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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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