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Confess vs. Profess: What's the Difference?

Edited by Huma Saeed || By Sawaira Riaz || 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.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023
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.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023
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.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023
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.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 12, 2023
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.
Sara Rehman
Oct 12, 2023
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Comparison Chart

Definition

Admitting a fault or truth
Declaring a belief or feeling
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Connotation

Often solemn or regretful
Neutral or positive
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Usage

More personal, secretive
Open, public declaration
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Voluntariness

Can be involuntary
Typically voluntary
Sara Rehman
Oct 12, 2023

Associated Context

Religious, legal, personal secrets
Commitments, beliefs, professions
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023
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Confess and Profess Definitions

Confess

Acknowledge a fact reluctantly
I must confess, I don't like the taste.
Harlon Moss
Oct 12, 2023

Profess

Claim, often falsely
He professed to have expertise in the subject.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Confess

Make an acknowledgment
He confessed his lack of knowledge.
Janet White
Oct 12, 2023

Profess

Emphasize a commitment
They professed their loyalty to the cause.
Harlon Moss
Oct 12, 2023

Confess

Declare sins to a priest
He went to church to confess his sins.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023
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Profess

Declare openly
She professed her love for him.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Confess

Admit guilt or wrongdoing
She confessed to the crime.
Janet White
Oct 12, 2023

Profess

Make an outward display
He professed indifference, but I knew he cared.
Janet White
Oct 12, 2023

Confess

To disclose (something damaging or inconvenient to oneself); admit.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To affirm openly; declare or claim
"a physics major [who] professes to be a stickler when it comes to data" (Gina Maranto).
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To acknowledge belief or faith in; profess
Confess one's religion.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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).
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To make known (one's sins) to God or to a priest.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To practice as a profession or claim knowledge of
Profess medicine.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To hear the confession of (a penitent).
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To affirm belief in
Profess Catholicism.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To admit or acknowledge something damaging or inconvenient to oneself
The suspect confessed to the crime.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To receive into a religious order or congregation.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To disclose one's sins to a priest.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To make an open affirmation.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To take the vows of a religious order or congregation.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To administer the vows of a religious order to (someone); to admit to a religious order.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

(religion) To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

(reflexive) To declare oneself (to be something).
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

(religion) To hear or receive such a confession of sins from.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

(ambitransitive) To declare; to assert, affirm.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To disclose or reveal.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

(transitive) To make a claim (to be something); to lay claim to (a given quality, feeling etc.), often with connotations of insincerity.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

(transitive) To declare one's adherence to (a religion, deity, principle etc.).
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

(transitive) To work as a professor of; to teach.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To claim to have knowledge or understanding of (a given area of interest, subject matter).
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To disclose or reveal, as an effect discloses its cause; to prove; to attest.
Tall thriving trees confessed the fruitful mold.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To make confession; to disclose sins or faults, or the state of the conscience.
Every tongue shall confess to God.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To take a profession upon one's self by a public declaration; to confess.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

To acknowledge; to admit; to concede.
But since(And I confess with right) you think me bound.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

To declare friendship.
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

Confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

Practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about;
She professes organic chemistry
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

Admit, make a clean breast of;
She confessed that she had taken the money
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

Confess one's faith in, or allegiance to;
The terrorists professed allegiance to the Muslim faith
He professes to be a Communist
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

Confess to God in the presence of a priest, as in the Catholic faith
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

Admit, make a clean breast of;
She confessed that she had taken the money
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Confess

Reveal a secret
She confessed that she had a crush on him.
Janet White
Oct 12, 2023

Profess

State freely;
The teacher professed that he was not generous when it came to giving good grades
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

Receive into a religious order or congregation
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

Take vows, as in religious order;
She professed herself as a nun
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

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
Sawaira Riaz
Nov 27, 2022

Profess

Teach as a professor
She professes chemistry at the university.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

FAQs

Can profess be about teaching?

Yes, "profess" can mean to teach a subject as a professor.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Is a confession always true?

Not necessarily. People might confess under pressure, even if it's not true.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Is confessing always voluntary?

No, sometimes it can be extracted under pressure.
Harlon Moss
Oct 12, 2023

Can profess be used in legal contexts?

Yes, though it's less common than confess. One might profess innocence.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Can one confess positive feelings?

Yes, e.g., "I confess I've always admired you."
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Can someone profess something they don't believe in?

Yes, someone might profess beliefs or feelings they don't genuinely hold.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 12, 2023

What's a positive way to use profess?

One can profess love, admiration, or commitment.
Sara Rehman
Oct 12, 2023

How is confess used in court?

It's used to indicate admission of guilt or facts.
Harlon Moss
Oct 12, 2023

Is confess always about admitting guilt?

No, confess can also mean acknowledging a fact or revealing a secret.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Are confessions always public?

No, they can be private, like confessing to a friend.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 12, 2023

Can one profess something privately?

Yes, though profess often implies open declaration, it can be done privately.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

In religion, what does confess mean?

It typically means admitting sins or faults, often to a religious figure.
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023

Is a confession always spoken?

No, it can be written or conveyed non-verbally.
Harlon Moss
Oct 12, 2023

Are there cultural contexts for confess?

Yes, confession practices and implications can vary by culture and religion.
Janet White
Oct 12, 2023

Is professing always serious?

Not always. One can profess in casual contexts, like professing a liking for a song.
Janet White
Oct 12, 2023

Can one profess expertise?

Yes, one can profess expertise in a subject or field.
Aimie Carlson
Oct 12, 2023

Can profess refer to a future intention?

Yes, e.g., "I profess to support this cause in the future."
Janet White
Oct 12, 2023

How is profess related to profession?

Both come from Latin "profiteri"
Sawaira Riaz
Oct 12, 2023
About Author
Written by
Sawaira Riaz
Sawaira is a dedicated content editor at difference.wiki, where she meticulously refines articles to ensure clarity and accuracy. With a keen eye for detail, she upholds the site's commitment to delivering insightful and precise content.
Edited by
Huma Saeed
Huma is a renowned researcher acclaimed for her innovative work in Difference Wiki. Her dedication has led to key breakthroughs, establishing her prominence in academia. Her contributions continually inspire and guide her field.

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