confess
Own up to
To confess is to admit something you've concealed—typically a wrongdoing, secret, or uncomfortable truth: He confessed to the crime, I have to confess I never liked her.
In religious contexts, to confess is to acknowledge sins to a priest or to God.
A confession may be coerced or voluntary, formal or casual.
I confess often introduces reluctant admissions: I confess I haven't read the book.
Confirm receipt or truth
- own upAcknowledge one's wrongdoing
- come cleanAdmit the full truth
- fess upAdmit wrongdoing informally
- concedeAdmit something reluctantly
avow · admit · disclose · divulge · reveal · spill the beans · unburden · confide
Kept out of sight
- revealMake something visible
- unburdenRemove a weight from
- intimateClosely personal or private
- privateRestricted to certain parties
confidant · skeleton in the closet · whisper · disclosure · betrayal · trust · concealment · dark secret
Guilt for wrongdoing
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- regretSorrow over past actions
culpability · self-reproach · compunction · guilty conscience · wrongdoing · blame · fault · incriminate
Release from guilt
- absolutionFormal clearing of guilt
- shriveHear confession, grant pardon
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
- atonementCompensation for wrongdoing
repent · priest · sacrament · sin · forgiveness · penitent · contrition · expiation
acknowledge
Confirm receipt or truth
- own upAcknowledge one's wrongdoing
- come cleanAdmit the full truth
- fess upAdmit wrongdoing informally
concede · avow · admit · disclose · divulge · reveal · spill the beans · unburden · confide · declare
hidden
Kept out of sight
private · confidant · skeleton in the closet · whisper · disclosure · betrayal · trust · concealment · dark secret · truth
remorse
Guilt for wrongdoing
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- shamePainful awareness of failure
regret · culpability · self-reproach · compunction · guilty conscience · wrongdoing · blame · fault · incriminate · implicate
absolve
Release from guilt
- absolutionFormal clearing of guilt
- shriveHear confession, grant pardon
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
atonement · repent · priest · sacrament · sin · forgiveness · penitent · contrition · expiation · reconciliation
testimony
Sworn statement as evidence
- statementExpressed claim or fact
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- interrogationFormal, probing examination
admission · Miranda · coerced · voluntary · witness · evidence · record · retract · recant · plea bargain
declare
State officially
- expressState or fast train
- feelingsEmotional responses experienced internally
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
affection · heart · romantic · ardor · admirer · suitor · unrequited · passion · bare one's heart · crush
- confidingopen up, disclose, come clean, heart-to-heart, unbosom
- revealreveal, disclose, expose, unmask, unveil
- acknowledgeadmit, concede, recognize, confirm, accept
- communication verbssay, speak, tell, talk, ask
- expressionexpress, convey, communicate, verbal, nonverbal
- disclosurerevealing, disclosing, disclosure, disclose, divulge
- confession of faithDoctrinal belief statement
- I confessAcknowledge one's wrongdoing
- deathbed confessionDisclosure made while dying
- confession boothEnclosed space for admitting sins
- false confessionUntrue guilt statement
- true confessions
confession, confessed, confessor, confessions, confessing, confesses, confessional, confessable, unconfessed