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

In an open letter, Tawfiq al-Tirawi, 77, said he had repeatedly alerted the Palestinian president to cases of graft, but to no avail.

From Barron's

The U.S. activist investor issued an open letter on Sunday detailing its case, after having announced its opposition on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a open letter to Sir Keir Starmer on Sunday, the 61 MPs said "successive governments" had done "too little to protect young people from... unregulated, addictive social media platforms".

From BBC

"The arts have allegedly become 'unsafe' and artists are a danger to the community's psycho-social wellbeing," she wrote in an open letter published by The Guardian newspaper.

From Barron's

Several student and civil society groups have issued open letters demanding legal reform.

From BBC