What does "confessional" mean?
A small room where confession—the Sacrament of Penance—is performed in private with a priest.
Confessional
/kənˈfɛʃənəl/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small room where confession—the Sacrament of Penance—is performed in private with a priest.
- Grammar: confessional is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: admission, admissive, ambry, apse.
- Useful contrasts: concealment, denial, detached narration.
- Usage evidence: The confessional allows to negotiate on errors.
How to use "confessional"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "confessional" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "confessional" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "confessional" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "confessional" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small room where confession—the Sacrament of Penance—is performed in private with a priest.
"The confessional's chief amusement has been seduction–in all the ages of the Church."
- 2 a booth where a priest sits to hear confessions wordnet
- 3 A confession.
"When a 35-year-old Bill Clinton, famously the nation’s youngest former governor, set out in 1982 to reclaim the job he had lost two years earlier, he began with a remarkable televised confessional. “My daddy never had to whip me twice for the same thing,” Mr. Clinton told Arkansans in a campaign commercial, acknowledging voters’ anger over his having raised a hated vehicle fee and vowing to listen better if they gave him another chance as governor."
- 4 A filmed interview in which a cast member speaks directly into the camera commenting on the events of the episode.
"These characters behave as crassly as they do in large part because producers of shows such as The Bachelor deprive them of all contact with the outside world ([…]) and ply them with alcohol, then goad them to unleash their petty grievances in filmed "confessionals"."
Adjective
- 1 In the manner or style of a confession.
"The studied reticence of the poems in quatrains is opposed to the more confessional aspects of the monologue."
- 2 Officially practicing a particular shared religion, as a state or organization; see confessionalism 1.
"confessional community"
Antonyms
Example
"The confessional allows to negotiate on errors."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "confessional"?
Common synonyms include: admission, admissive, ambry, apse, autobiographical, baptistery.
How do you use "confessional" in a sentence?
The confessional allows to negotiate on errors.
How do you pronounce "confessional"?
Pronounced /kənˈfɛʃənəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From confession + -al.
Etymology 2
From French confessionnal.