open letter

noun

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

open letter

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• open-letter adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of open letter¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

An open letter, recently signed by 93 current and former Barb employees, alleges studio management made "radical changes" without properly consulting workers.

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I wrote an open letter to Mr. Spiller questioning his priorities, but he never answered.

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He was among two dozen longtime DSA members who signed a November 2023 open letter in the New Republic announcing their departure because the organization had “become completely unmoored.”

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Earlier this month, more than 1,200 people in the movie and TV industry, among them Liev Schreiber, Sherry Lansing and Jennifer Jason Leigh, signed an open letter denouncing the boycott.

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A phalanx of left-wing experts led by Biden campaign adviser Ezekiel Emanuel then wrote an open letter urging Dr. Bourla to collect more data, which would ensure results weren’t reported until after the election.

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