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); confession, -al ¹; confessional defs. 2, 3 from French, from Medieval Latin

Example Sentences

Trading hot tub confessionals for courtrooms, Duffy became a Wisconsin district attorney and then a congressman.

From Los Angeles Times

The son of an Irish mother and a Guyanese father, Lynott was the band’s bassist and primary songwriter, with a soothing voice that seemed almost confessional.

From The Wall Street Journal

The New York World scooped other papers clamoring to run Maggie’s confessional interview.

From Literature

There’s also a “spill your beans confessional board,” where visitors can anonymously respond to prompts.

From Los Angeles Times

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