missive
Americannoun
adjective
noun
-
a formal or official letter
-
a formal word for letter
adjective
Etymology
Origin of missive
1400–50; late Middle English ( letter ) missive < Medieval Latin ( littera ) missīva sent (letter), equivalent to Latin miss ( us ) (past participle of mittere to send) + -īva, feminine of -īvus -ive
Explanation
A missive usually refers to the old-school style of hand-written communication on paper (remember that?), but these days you also might hear an email called a missive. No matter how you deliver it, a missive is a message. The noun missive comes from the Latin word missus, meaning "to send." You may have heard the phrase, "fire off a missive," meaning a note, memo or dispatch that was written and sent with urgency and conveyed an important message. It might have been a missive sent from a commander to the troops, telling them of a change in the battle plan. Or, maybe it was an urgent love letter to the commander's wife back home, telling her to tie a yellow ribbon round the ole oak tree...
Vocabulary lists containing missive
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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Born a Crime
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The missive, which could be a precursor to a lawsuit, opens another avenue of attack against the controversial $111-billion deal, which would transform the smaller Paramount into an industry titan.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
The missive came after her viral appearance alongside Carpenter during the weekend's headline set at the festival in the California desert.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
For nearly 14 years, I’ve returned to this contemplative missive through every bump in the occupational road or moment of professional strife.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026
ClearView Energy Partners opened a missive to clients this weekend with an ominous warning: This time could be different.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
“M. Minkoff has apparently responded to my missive with a rather frantic urgency. I told her off quite viciously.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
