open letter

American  

noun

1. a letter, often of protest or criticism, addressed to a specific person, but intended to be brought to public attention.

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open letter British  

noun

1. a letter, esp one of protest, addressed to a person but also made public, as through the press

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Other Word Forms

• open-letter
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of open letter

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

open letter

Her name as a possible presidential nominee was first put forward in an open letter signed by sixteen prominent Hungarians, including the inventor of the Rubik's Cube, Erno Rubik.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

The lawyer said the defendant had written an open letter to President Tinubu expressing those concerns.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

More than a thousand actors and producers sent an open letter protesting the merger in April.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

More than 5,000 entertainment industry workers, including Jane Fonda, Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston, Javier Bardem, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Ruffalo, signed an open letter calling on Bonta to block the merger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

In an open letter to township residents and policy makers, he criticized “idiosyncratic alternatives” to public districts, many of them “owned and operated by large national corporations whose number one mission is to enrich shareholders.”

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove