3 N‑VAR If you make a confession of your beliefs or feelings, you publicly tell people that this is what you believe or feel. □ [+ of ] …Tatyana's confession of love.
4 N‑VAR In the Catholic church and in some other churches, if you go to confession , you privately tell a priest about your sins and ask for forgiveness. □ He never went to Father Porter for confession again.
con|fes|sion|al /kənfe ʃən ə l/ (confessionals )
1 N‑COUNT A confessional is the small room in a church where Christians, especially Roman Catholics, go to confess their sins.
2 ADJ A confessional speech or writing contains confessions. □ The convictions rest solely on disputed witness and confessional statements.
con|fes|sor /kənfe sə r / (confessors )
1 N‑COUNT A confessor is a priest who hears a person's confession.
2 N‑COUNT If you describe someone as your confessor , you mean that they are the person you can talk to about your secrets or problems. □ He was their adviser, confidant and father confessor.
con|fet|ti /kənfe ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Confetti is small pieces of coloured paper that people throw over the bride and bridegroom at a wedding.
con|fi|dant /kɒ nf I dænt, -dæ nt/ (confidants ) N‑COUNT [usu with poss] Someone's confidant is a man who they are able to discuss their private problems with. □ [+ of ] …a close confidant of the president.
con|fi|dante /kɒ nf I dænt, -dæ nt/ (confidantes ) N‑COUNT [usu with poss] Someone's confidante is a woman who they are able to discuss their private problems with. □ You are her closest friend and confidante.
con|fide /kənfa I d/ (confides , confiding , confided ) VERB If you confide in someone, you tell them a secret. □ [V + in ] I knew she had some problems in her job because she had confided in me. □ [V + to ] He confided to me that he felt like he was being punished. □ [V that] On New Year's Eve he confided that he had suffered rather troubling chest pains. □ [V n + to ] I confided my worries to Michael. [Also V with quote]
con|fi|dence ◆◆◇ /kɒ nf I dəns/
1 N‑UNCOUNT If you have confidence in someone, you feel that you can trust them. □ [+ in ] I have every confidence in you. □ [+ in ] This has contributed to the lack of confidence in the police. □ His record on ceasefires inspires no confidence.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you have confidence , you feel sure about your abilities, qualities, or ideas. □ The band is on excellent form and brimming with confidence. □ I always thought the worst of myself and had no confidence whatsoever.
3 N‑UNCOUNT [usu with N ] If you can say something with confidence , you feel certain it is correct. □ I can say with confidence that such rumours were totally groundless.
4 N‑UNCOUNT [usu in N ] If you tell someone something in confidence , you tell them a secret. □ We told you all these things in confidence. □ Even telling Lois seemed a betrayal of confidence. ● PHRASE If you take someone into your confidence , you tell them a secret. □ He was one of the few that she took into her confidence about how the story would develop.
5 → see also vote of no confidence SYNONYMS confidence NOUN
1
trust: He destroyed me and my trust in men.
belief: It is our belief that improvements in health care will lead to a stronger, more prosperous economy.
faith: She had placed a great deal of faith in Mr Penleigh.
2
self-assurance: She displayed considerable self-assurance.
assurance: Masur led the orchestra with assurance.
aplomb: The whole cast executed the production with truly professional aplomb.
self-possession: She found her customary self-possession had deserted her. COLLOCATIONS confidence NOUN
1
noun + confidence : business, consumer, investor, market
adjective + confidence : complete, full, new-found, renewed; public
confidence + be + adjective : high, sky-high; fragile, low
verb + confidence : have, increase, inspire, restore; lose, undermine
2
adjective + confidence : great, quiet, supreme
verb + confidence : boost, build, exude, gain; lack, lose, shake
4
adjective + confidence : strict, utmost
5
verb + confidence : betray, share
co n|fi|dence game (confidence games ) N‑COUNT A confidence game is the same as a confidence trick . [mainly AM ]
co n|fi|dence man (confidence men ) N‑COUNT A confidence man is a man who persuades people to give him their money or property by lying to them. [mainly AM ]
co n|fi|dence trick (confidence tricks ) N‑COUNT A confidence trick is a trick in which someone deceives you by telling you something that is not true, often to trick you out of money. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, usually use confidence game
con|fi|dent ◆◇◇ /kɒ nf I dənt/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ , oft ADJ that] If you are confident about something, you are certain that it will happen in the way you want it to. □ I am confident that everything will come out right in time. □ [+ of ] Mr Ryan is confident of success. □ [+ about ] Management is confident about the way business is progressing. ● con|fi|dent|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ I can confidently promise that this year is going to be very different.