confession
con·fes·sion / kənˈfeshən/ • n. 1. a formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a crime. ∎ an admission or acknowledgment that one has done something that one is ashamed or embarrassed about: by his own confession, he had strayed perilously close to alcoholism. ∎ a formal admission of one's sins with repentance and desire of absolution, esp. privately to a priest as a religious duty: she still had not been to confession. ∎ (confessions) often humorous intimate revelations about a person's private life or occupation, esp. as presented in a sensationalized form in a book, newspaper, or movie.2. (also confession of faith) a statement setting out essential religious doctrine. ∎ (also Confession) the religious body or church sharing a confession of faith. ∎ a statement of one's principles: his words are a political confession of faith.DERIVATIVES: con·fes·sion·ar·y / -ˌnerē/ adj.
