Confess vs. Profess: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 12, 2023
Confess means admitting a fault or truth, while profess implies declaring a belief or feeling.
Key Differences
Confess primarily centers on the admission of something, often a wrongdoing or a mistake. It carries with it a sense of revealing a secret or acknowledging a fault. On the other hand, profess leans more toward declaring or asserting something openly, often a belief, feeling, or expertise.
While confess often has a heavier or more solemn connotation, especially in religious or legal contexts, profess can be neutral or even positive. A confession might relieve guilt, while a profession might emphasize a commitment.
In daily conversations, when someone uses the term confess, it's typically to admit something they've been hiding. In contrast, to profess love for someone is to openly declare or affirm that emotion.
Both words indicate a form of revelation, but the nature and implications of what's revealed differ. Through confession, truths hidden in shadows come to light. When one professes, it's a proclamation of something they want others to know and understand.
Confess can sometimes be involuntary, extracted under pressure or in response to an overwhelming emotion. Whereas profess is almost always a voluntary act, done with intent and full awareness.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Admitting a fault or truth
Declaring a belief or feeling
Connotation
Often solemn or regretful
Neutral or positive
Usage
More personal, secretive
Open, public declaration
Voluntariness
Can be involuntary
Typically voluntary
Associated Context
Religious, legal, personal secrets
Commitments, beliefs, professions
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Confess and Profess Definitions
Confess
Acknowledge a fact reluctantly
I must confess, I don't like the taste.
Profess
Claim, often falsely
He professed to have expertise in the subject.
Confess
Make an acknowledgment
He confessed his lack of knowledge.
Profess
Emphasize a commitment
They professed their loyalty to the cause.
Confess
Declare sins to a priest
He went to church to confess his sins.
Profess
Declare openly
She professed her love for him.
Confess
Admit guilt or wrongdoing
She confessed to the crime.
Profess
Make an outward display
He professed indifference, but I knew he cared.
Confess
To disclose (something damaging or inconvenient to oneself); admit.
Profess
To affirm openly; declare or claim
"a physics major [who] professes to be a stickler when it comes to data" (Gina Maranto).
Confess
To acknowledge belief or faith in; profess
Confess one's religion.
Profess
To make a pretense of; pretend
"top officials who were deeply involved with the arms sales but later professed ignorance of them" (David Johnston).
Confess
To make known (one's sins) to God or to a priest.
Profess
To practice as a profession or claim knowledge of
Profess medicine.
Confess
To hear the confession of (a penitent).
Profess
To affirm belief in
Profess Catholicism.
Confess
To admit or acknowledge something damaging or inconvenient to oneself
The suspect confessed to the crime.
Profess
To receive into a religious order or congregation.
Confess
To disclose one's sins to a priest.
Profess
To make an open affirmation.
Confess
To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed.
I confess to spray-painting all over that mural!
I confess that I am a sinner.
Profess
To take the vows of a religious order or congregation.
Confess
To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.
Profess
To administer the vows of a religious order to (someone); to admit to a religious order.
Confess
(religion) To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.
Profess
(reflexive) To declare oneself (to be something).
Confess
(religion) To hear or receive such a confession of sins from.
Profess
(ambitransitive) To declare; to assert, affirm.
Confess
To disclose or reveal.
Profess
(transitive) To make a claim (to be something); to lay claim to (a given quality, feeling etc.), often with connotations of insincerity.
Confess
To make acknowledgment or avowal in a matter pertaining to one's self; to acknowledge, own, or admit, as a crime, a fault, a debt.
And there confessHumbly our faults, and pardon beg.
I must confess I was most pleased with a beautiful prospect that none of them have mentioned.
Profess
(transitive) To declare one's adherence to (a religion, deity, principle etc.).
Confess
To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.
Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess, also, before my Father which is in heaven.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.
Profess
(transitive) To work as a professor of; to teach.
Confess
To admit as true; to assent to; to acknowledge, as after a previous doubt, denial, or concealment.
I never gave it him. Send for him hither,And let him confess a truth.
As I confess it needs must be.
As an actor confessed without rival to shine.
Profess
To claim to have knowledge or understanding of (a given area of interest, subject matter).
Confess
To make known or acknowledge, as one's sins to a priest, in order to receive absolution; - sometimes followed by the reflexive pronoun.
Our beautiful votary took an opportunity of confessing herself to this celebrated father.
Profess
To make open declaration of, as of one's knowledge, belief, action, etc.; to avow or acknowledge; to confess publicly; to own or admit freely.
The best and wisest of them all professedTo know this only, that he nothing knew.
Confess
To hear or receive such confession; - said of a priest.
He . . . heard mass, and the prince, his son, with him, and the most part of his company were confessed.
Profess
To set up a claim to; to make presence to; hence, to put on or present an appearance of.
I do profess to be no less than I seem.
Confess
To disclose or reveal, as an effect discloses its cause; to prove; to attest.
Tall thriving trees confessed the fruitful mold.
Profess
To present to knowledge of, to proclaim one's self versed in; to make one's self a teacher or practitioner of, to set up as an authority respecting; to declare (one's self to be such); as, he professes surgery; to profess one's self a physician.
Confess
To make confession; to disclose sins or faults, or the state of the conscience.
Every tongue shall confess to God.
Profess
To take a profession upon one's self by a public declaration; to confess.
Confess
To acknowledge; to admit; to concede.
But since(And I confess with right) you think me bound.
Profess
To declare friendship.
Confess
Confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
Profess
Practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about;
She professes organic chemistry
Confess
Admit, make a clean breast of;
She confessed that she had taken the money
Profess
Confess one's faith in, or allegiance to;
The terrorists professed allegiance to the Muslim faith
He professes to be a Communist
Confess
Confess to God in the presence of a priest, as in the Catholic faith
Profess
Admit, make a clean breast of;
She confessed that she had taken the money
Confess
Reveal a secret
She confessed that she had a crush on him.
Profess
State freely;
The teacher professed that he was not generous when it came to giving good grades
Profess
Receive into a religious order or congregation
Profess
Take vows, as in religious order;
She professed herself as a nun
Profess
State insincerely;
He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt
She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber
She pretends to be an expert on wine
Profess
Teach as a professor
She professes chemistry at the university.
FAQs
Can profess be about teaching?
Yes, "profess" can mean to teach a subject as a professor.
Is a confession always true?
Not necessarily. People might confess under pressure, even if it's not true.
Is confessing always voluntary?
No, sometimes it can be extracted under pressure.
Can profess be used in legal contexts?
Yes, though it's less common than confess. One might profess innocence.
Can one confess positive feelings?
Yes, e.g., "I confess I've always admired you."
Can someone profess something they don't believe in?
Yes, someone might profess beliefs or feelings they don't genuinely hold.
What's a positive way to use profess?
One can profess love, admiration, or commitment.
How is confess used in court?
It's used to indicate admission of guilt or facts.
Is confess always about admitting guilt?
No, confess can also mean acknowledging a fact or revealing a secret.
Are confessions always public?
No, they can be private, like confessing to a friend.
Can one profess something privately?
Yes, though profess often implies open declaration, it can be done privately.
In religion, what does confess mean?
It typically means admitting sins or faults, often to a religious figure.
Is a confession always spoken?
No, it can be written or conveyed non-verbally.
Are there cultural contexts for confess?
Yes, confession practices and implications can vary by culture and religion.
Is professing always serious?
Not always. One can profess in casual contexts, like professing a liking for a song.
Can one profess expertise?
Yes, one can profess expertise in a subject or field.
Can profess refer to a future intention?
Yes, e.g., "I profess to support this cause in the future."
How is profess related to profession?
Both come from Latin "profiteri"
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
