Synonyms for confession
kənˈfɛʃ əncon·fes·sion

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 3 votes

1. confession

   All these words express one's answer to a charge of wrong or error that is or might be made. Apology has undergone a remarkable change from its old sense of a valiant defense — as in Justin Martyr's Apologies for the Christian faith — to its present meaning of humble confession and concession. He who offers an apology admits himself, at least technically and seemingly, in the wrong. An apology is for what one has done or left undone; an excuse may be for what one proposes to do or leave undone as well; as, one sends beforehand his excuse for not accepting an invitation; if he should fail either to be present or to excuse himself, an apology would be in order. An excuse for a fault is an attempt at partial justification; as, one alleges haste as an excuse for carelessness. Confession is a full acknowledgment of wrong, generally of a grave wrong, with or without apology or excuse. Plea ranges in sense from a prayer for favor or pardon to an attempt at full vindication. Defense, exculpation, justification, and vindication are more properly antonyms than synonyms of apology in its modern sense, and should be so given, but for their connection with its historic usage. Compare CONFESS; DEFENSE.

   Synonyms:
   acknowledgment, apology, defense, exculpation, excuse, justification, plea, vindication

   Antonyms:
   accusation, censure, charge, complaint, condemnation, imputation, injury, insult, offense, wrong

   Preposition:
   An apology to the guest for the oversight would be fitting.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. confession

   Synonyms:
   creed, catechism, articles, doctrines, tenets, profession, declaration, subscription

   Antonyms:
   heresy, apostacy, protest, condemnation, refutation, index, renunciation, abjuration

Princeton's WordNet

1. confessionnoun

   an admission of misdeeds or faults

2. confessionnoun

   a written document acknowledging an offense and signed by the guilty party

3. confessionnoun

   (Roman Catholic Church) the act of a penitent disclosing his sinfulness before a priest in the sacrament of penance in the hope of absolution

4. confessionnoun

   a public declaration of your faith

5. confessionnoun

   the document that spells out the belief system of a given church (especially the Reformation churches of the 16th century)

Matched Categories

1. • Roman Catholic
   • Admission
   • Declaration
   • Document
   • Penance
   • Religious Doctrine

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:2.7 / 3 votes

1. confessionnoun

   Synonyms:
   acknowledgment, admission, avowal

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. confessionnoun

   Synonyms:
   acknowledgment, avowal, admission, confiteor, shrift, exomologesis

   Associated words:
   shrive, shrift, confessional, shriven, shriver, shrift, father

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "confession":

   confessions, denomination, admission, faith, confessional, confess, affiliation, recognition

Suggested Resources

1. confession

   Song lyrics by confession -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by confession on the Lyrics.com website.

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How to use confession in a sentence?

1. Eva Kor:

   I'm going to take whatever confession he gives — it's better than no confession, maybe this is the best thing he has ever done in his life. Isn't that sad?

2. Oscar Wilde:

   There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves, we feel that no one else has a right to blame us. It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution.

3. Anatole France:

   Nothing spoils a confession like repentance.

4. Peter De Vries:

   Confession is good for the soul only in the sense that a tweed coat is good for dandruff - it is a palliative rather than a remedy.

5. Ayn Rand:

   The Argument from Intimidation is a confession of intellectual impotence.