Confess vs. Profess — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 20, 2024
"Confess" involves admitting to wrongdoing or feelings, while "Profess" means to declare belief or profession openly.
Difference Between Confess and Profess
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Key Differences
Confess typically involves the admission of something that one might have preferred to keep secret, often related to a wrongdoing or a personal feeling. This act of revealing the truth, especially under circumstances where honesty is demanded, is pivotal in contexts such as legal settings, personal relationships, or religious confessions. Whereas profess involves making a declaration about something, often related to one’s beliefs, feelings, or professional commitments. This act of declaration does not necessarily carry the connotation of admitting to something hidden or wrongdoing but is more about openly stating or affirming one's stance, belief, or expertise in a particular area.
When someone confesses, it usually implies a level of vulnerability or the acknowledgment of fault or guilt. The act of confessing is often seen as a step towards reconciliation or redemption, particularly in moral or legal contexts. On the other hand, to profess something is to assert it confidently, often without any implication of prior concealment or guilt. Professing can be related to one's expertise in a field (e.g., to profess knowledge) or to one's personal beliefs or feelings (e.g., to profess love).
The contexts in which "confess" and "profess" are used also differ significantly. Confessions are often associated with private, intimate, or solemn atmospheres — such as confessions of love in a personal relationship or confessions of guilt in a religious setting. In contrast, professions can be made in a wide range of contexts, from academic and professional to personal, and often serve to establish one’s position, belief, or authority publicly.
Confessing often leads to consequences or reactions based on the admission's content, such as forgiveness in a personal relationship or punishment in a legal context. Professing, however, tends to establish or reaffirm the speaker's identity, role, or belief system and is less about eliciting a response based on the revelation of previously concealed information.
Both confessing and professing can be powerful acts of communication, but they serve different purposes and are guided by different motivations. While confessing is more about revealing and facing the truth of one's actions or feelings, professing is about declaring one's stance, expertise, or beliefs, often as a means of persuasion or affirmation.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Admitting to something personal or secretive
Declaring or stating something openly
Connotation
Often associated with guilt or vulnerability
More about assertion and declaration without the implication of guilt
Context
Legal, religious, personal relationships
Academic, professional, public statements, personal beliefs
Outcome
Seeking forgiveness, acceptance, or reconciliation
Establishing or affirming a position, belief, or expertise
Associated Actions
Apology, atonement, reconciliation
Declaration, affirmation, assertion
Compare with Definitions
Confess
To admit guilt or wrongdoing.
He confessed to the crime after hours of interrogation.
Profess
To declare knowledge or expertise.
She professed a deep understanding of medieval history.
Confess
To acknowledge faults or mistakes.
The CEO confessed that the strategy was flawed.
Profess
To affirm belief in something.
They professed their commitment to non-violence.
Confess
To own up to something reluctantly.
He confessed to having lost the important documents.
Profess
To assert something about oneself.
The artist professed to be influenced by various cultures.
Confess
To reveal a personal truth.
She finally confessed her feelings to her friend.
Profess
To claim openly.
He professed his innocence in front of the jury.
Confess
To disclose in a religious context.
The devotee confessed his sins during the ritual.
Profess
To declare one's feelings.
He professed his love in a heartfelt letter.
Confess
Admit that one has committed a crime or done something wrong
He wants to confess to Caroline's murder
He confessed that he had attacked the old man
‘I damaged your car,’ she confessed
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 disclose (something damaging or inconvenient to oneself); admit.
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 acknowledge belief or faith in; profess
Confess one's religion.
Profess
To practice as a profession or claim knowledge of
Profess medicine.
Confess
To make known (one's sins) to God or to a priest.
Profess
To affirm belief in
Profess Catholicism.
Confess
To hear the confession of (a penitent).
Profess
To receive into a religious order or congregation.
Confess
To admit or acknowledge something damaging or inconvenient to oneself
The suspect confessed to the crime.
Profess
To make an open affirmation.
Confess
To disclose one's sins to a priest.
Profess
To take the vows of a religious order or congregation.
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 administer the vows of a religious order to (someone); to admit to a religious order.
Confess
To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.
Profess
(reflexive) To declare oneself (to be something).
Confess
(religion) To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.
Profess
(ambitransitive) To declare; to assert, affirm.
Confess
(religion) To hear or receive such a confession of sins from.
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 disclose or reveal.
Profess
(transitive) To declare one's adherence to (a religion, deity, principle etc.).
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 work as a professor of; to teach.
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
To claim to have knowledge or understanding of (a given area of interest, subject matter).
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 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 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 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 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 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 disclose or reveal, as an effect discloses its cause; to prove; to attest.
Tall thriving trees confessed the fruitful mold.
Profess
To take a profession upon one's self by a public declaration; to confess.
Confess
To make confession; to disclose sins or faults, or the state of the conscience.
Every tongue shall confess to God.
Profess
To declare friendship.
Confess
To acknowledge; to admit; to concede.
But since(And I confess with right) you think me bound.
Profess
Practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about;
She professes organic chemistry
Confess
Confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
Profess
Confess one's faith in, or allegiance to;
The terrorists professed allegiance to the Muslim faith
He professes to be a Communist
Confess
Admit, make a clean breast of;
She confessed that she had taken the money
Profess
Admit, make a clean breast of;
She confessed that she had taken the money
Confess
Confess to God in the presence of a priest, as in the Catholic faith
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
Common Curiosities
Can confessing have positive outcomes?
Yes, confessing can lead to positive outcomes like forgiveness, reconciliation, and the relief of unburdening oneself.
How do the contexts of confessing and professing differ?
Confessing often occurs in more private, solemn, or serious contexts, while professing can happen in a variety of public, academic, or professional settings.
Can one profess something negative?
While less common, one can profess something negative, especially in the context of affirming a difficult truth or challenge.
Is professing always about positive declarations?
Not necessarily, but professing typically involves positive affirmations of one's beliefs, expertise, or feelings, rather than admissions of guilt.
How do cultural differences impact confessing and professing?
Cultural norms can significantly influence how, when, and where people confess or profess, as well as the reception of these acts.
What does it mean to confess something?
To confess means to admit to something, often reluctantly, that one has done wrong or kept secret.
Is there a gender difference in confessing and professing?
Cultural and societal norms can influence gendered expressions of confessing and professing, but these actions are fundamentally human and not limited to one gender.
Are there legal implications to confessing?
Yes, in legal contexts, confessing, especially to a crime, can have significant legal consequences and implications.
What does it mean to profess something?
To profess means to declare or state something openly, often related to one’s beliefs, expertise, or feelings.
Is it possible to both confess and profess in the same statement?
Yes, one might confess to a wrongdoing while also professing their commitment to making amends or their belief in certain principles.
How do religious beliefs impact the act of confessing?
In many religions, confessing sins or wrongdoings is a crucial component of spiritual life and practice, often associated with forgiveness and redemption.
Can technology affect how we confess or profess?
Technology, especially social media, has transformed how, where, and to whom we confess or profess, making these acts more public and widespread.
Can professing be considered a form of confession?
In some contexts, especially personal ones, professing deep feelings or beliefs might overlap with confession, especially if these feelings were previously concealed.
Is professing necessary in academic or professional settings?
In such settings, professing one's knowledge, expertise, or beliefs can be crucial for establishing credibility and authority.
Does the need to confess or profess change over time?
Yes, societal norms, personal growth, and changing relationships can all influence the need and manner of confessing or professing.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
