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.

---

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

---

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

In correspondence previously provided to the BBC, the Met said: "The live investigation into those who could have facilitated or enabled Mohamed Al Fayed's offending continues."

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

I recall correspondence I had with Virginia Chan, founder of Hong Kong’s “Humid with a Chance of Fishballs” food tours.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

Mr. Meyer draws on later correspondence, archives, unpublished writings and his experience editing a 12-volume German edition of Arendt’s work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

In 1608 Galileo was in correspondence with Christina of Lorraine, the wife of Ferdinand I, Grand Duke of Tuscany.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Septimus Piesse, a 19th-century chemist, translated sounds into smells, proclaiming an “octave of odors,” the authors explain, “with correspondences between notes and scents providing the basis for harmonious olfactory combinations.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

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

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

I set my cigar box full of Jemma’s old correspondences on the bench beside me, and I opened a few newspapers scavenged from the depot.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• writing