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

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

See Examples For:

confessional

Simpson, was produced 10 years after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and just prior to “If I Did It,” perhaps the most arrogant mea culpa in the history of confessional literature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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

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

Then she brought out pop star Lola Young, inviting her into a confessional booth with the hope of eliciting a dark secret.

From BBC ● May 6, 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