noun

confession

kuhn-FESH-uhn/kənˈfeʃn/

An admission of wrongdoing or a private truth.

The ashamed person's confession accepts fault for the spilled ink.

Two adults converse; one ashamed person points at spilled ink they caused on another's work, listener receives admission; no writing.

Etymology

conLatintogether; adds emphasis

+fessLatinto admit

+ionLatinaction or result

The “admit” root becomes a noun for the act of acknowledgment, originally especially disclosing sins to a priest. The meaning then extended from the act of admitting to the wrongdoing or truth admitted.

In context

Advexon Science Network2:28

is it a confession to the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman or is this version only hypothetical as OJ maintains

O. J. SIMPSON | THE LOST CONFESSION Fox Interview - Full Documentary 2018

More examples

I have a confession: I still sleep with a night-light.
The detective records the suspect's confession.
Her honest confession helps rebuild trust with her sister.

Forms

confession · confessions

confess verb — To admit wrongdoing or a private truth.

Similar words

admission: Broader than confession; may acknowledge facts without implying wrongdoing.
disclosure: Emphasizes revealing information rather than admitting personal guilt.
acknowledgment: Recognizes a fact without necessarily revealing anything previously hidden.