confessional

American  

[kuhn-fesh-uh-nl] / kənˈfɛʃ ə nl /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or based on confession.

   confessional release.

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noun

1. the place set apart for the hearing of confessions by a priest.

2. French Furniture. a high, upholstered wing chair of the 18th century.

confessional British  

/ kənˈfɛʃənəl /

adjective

1. of, like, or suited to a confession

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noun

1. Christianity RC Church a small stall, usually enclosed and divided by a screen or curtain, where a priest hears confessions

2. a book of penitential prayers

Other Word Forms

• pseudoconfessional
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of confessional

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Medieval Latin confessiōnāle, neuter of confessiōnālis (adjective); see confession, -al ¹; confessional defs. 2, 3 from French, from Medieval Latin

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confessional

Nowadays, those hankering for a dose of first-person confessional need only open their TikTok feeds or turn on Bravo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The 83-year-old confessional lyricist said in a statement that she had "been learning how to live with Parkinson's disease" and that she had also been treated for skin cancer.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

But there's clearly a demand for the confessional style.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Though music was at its heart, stand-up comedian Emily Catalano opened the show, and Bird himself invoked humor throughout his set, slipping self-deprecating quips and confessional anecdotes about each lyric’s meaning in between songs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

His silence made me feel like I was suspended in space, like I’d been dropped into a confessional.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

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