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

You must be able to read and respond to work-related correspondence in a timely fashion, which means you need access to your phone, laptop and a wifi signal or hotspot.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

Details of the letter and other correspondence were described to The Times by two district sources who reviewed the document.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026

It's just one of the original documents including original maps, correspondence and first-hand accounts, to feature in the exhibition at the UK's National Archives in southwest London which opens on Wednesday.

From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026

Both were in “the High Eighties,” as Le Guin put it, and the correspondence had a pleasing warmth that emanated from both sides.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The overriding honesty and intimacy of the correspondence with Rush permitted this projection to express itself without restraint.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• writing