confess

verb

(intransitive, transitive) To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed.

(religion) To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.

(transitive) To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.

(transitive) To disclose or reveal.

(transitive, religion) To hear or receive such a confession of sins from.

(intransitive, chiefly in the context of Japanese media) To profess one's love.

Roots

fateor-fess · Latin · confess, declare

Synonyms for confess

professv concedev admitv avowv acknowledgev avouchv disclosev divulgev declarev testifyv

Synonyms & related words for confess

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of confess — including profess, concede, admit, avow, acknowledge, avouch. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to confess

Explore words related to confess — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include confession, shriving, intromit, confessional, repentantly, conceder, repent, ashamedly. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for confess

Common synonyms for confess include profess, concede, admit, avow, acknowledge, avouch, disclose, divulge — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does confess come from?

The word confess breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root -fess, from Latin fateor (“confess, declare”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.