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

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

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

Toward the end of the evening, there was an unexpected confessional.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

What makes the album a timeless classic are its catchy melodies; shrewd arrangements that caught the culture’s disco obsession; and Mr. Scaggs’s earthy, confessional lyrics and intimate voice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

I could hear whisperings from the confessional on the other side.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya