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Synonyms

self-confessed

American  
[self-kuhn-fest, self-] / ˈsɛlf kənˈfɛst, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

  1. openly admitting to being a type of person with a particular quality, habit, character, etc..

    He's a self-confessed gambler.


self-confessed British  

adjective

  1. according to one's own testimony or admission

    a self-confessed liar

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of self-confessed

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Simmons, a self-confessed family history buff, said his great-grandfather studied in London between 1839 to 1844.

From BBC Aug. 7, 2026

Last month, Washington's top diplomat in London, Warren Stephens, said Miliband had been "wrong" in 2016 to call Mr Trump "a racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper" and added "hopefully his views have changed".

From BBC Aug. 5, 2026

For the CEO, a self-confessed workaholic, the key to InSilico’s success lies in China.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 26, 2026

Or you can get riled up with impatience, jealousy and/or dismay with a self-confessed couple who has everything, including $6 million set aside for retirement, and still want advice.

From MarketWatch May 13, 2026

But this last alternative seems to me to be special pleading: I am, reluctantly, a self-confessed carbon chauvinist.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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