confessional

American  

[kuhn-fesh-uh-nl] / kənˈfɛʃ ə nl /

adjective

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

   confessional release.

---

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

---

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

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

Example Sentences

She arguably saved her best to last, closing out with her confessional anthem Messy, which secured her the Grammy for best pop solo performance and the breakthrough prize at the Brit Awards earlier this year.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

Parkkonen, who appears on stage as enigmatic and brooding while lamenting his unanswered love next to a flaming confessional, hoped the song will serve as "a helping hand".

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

His lyrics are refreshing, clearly about human yearning but never seeming confessional or like he has a specific point to make.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

The film’s theatrical provenance reveals itself in long monologues in the Marilyn confessional room and Pedretti delivers one that reveals the depth beyond Cherry’s ditzy exterior.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

His confessional, I later learned, was the calculated result of hard work.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden