correspondence

American  

[kawr-uh-spon-duhns, kor-] / ˌkɔr əˈspɒn dəns, ˌkɒr- /

noun

• correspondences
  plural

1. communication by exchange of letters.

2. a letter or letters that pass between correspondents.

   It will take me all day to answer this business correspondence.

3. Also an instance of corresponding.

4. similarity or analogy.

5. agreement; conformity.

   Synonyms:

   consonance, concord, accord

6. news, commentary, letters, etc., received from a newspaper or magazine correspondent.

7. Mathematics. function.

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correspondence British  

/ ˌkɒrɪˈspɒndəns /

noun

1. the act or condition of agreeing or corresponding

2. similarity or analogy

3. agreement or conformity

4. 1. communication by the exchange of letters

   2. the letters so exchanged

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncorrespondence
  noun
• precorrespondence
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• correspondences
  plural

Etymology

Origin of correspondence

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin corrēspondentia. See correspondent, -ence

Explanation

Correspondence is a body of letters or communications. If you've ever had a pen pal or an email buddy, you’ve written plenty of correspondence. Besides referring to that stack of love letters you've bound up with ribbon, correspondence has a couple of other meanings, too. When you and your friend hold similar opinions about a particular subject, your thoughts are in correspondence, or "agreement." In mathematics, symmetrical objects are in correspondence — that is, they mirror each other exactly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

correspondence correspondences

Keep your correspondence about the job, and you can help each other be as productive as possible.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

On Wednesday, Adjepong posted what appeared to be a screenshot of email correspondence from the D.C.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Andriesz spotted correspondence, external where Epstein had directly asked the HWL account: "what do you think the prospects for adfin are?"

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to answer questions from ProPublica, noting: “As with all congressional correspondence, the Department will respond directly to the authors.”

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

The correspondence between Maggie Fox and Robert Kane resulted in a standoff.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Here we have the usually sweater-clad executive in a suit and tie, testifying under oath about his private correspondences, in a multitrillion-dollar trial where he’s locking horns with the richest man in the world.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

Especially when the correspondences between art and garment are so pleasurable—continuously surprising and poetically persuasive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

To learn more about the state’s correspondences with the CDC, KFF Health News filed a public records request to the Texas health department.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2025

Since then, the tribe has reached out “via email correspondences to the city, to the various departments, the planning commission, and the city council for that matter,” said Jaime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2024

He’d searched old journals and bundled correspondences, spies’ reports, maps and treaties, trade ledgers and the minutes of royal secretaries, and anything else he could dig up.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• writing