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 2021, Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland, spearheaded an open letter to the Pew Research Center, urging it to stop promoting the use of generational labels.

From Salon

Mr Duggan has written an open letter to the justice secretary, hoping to "kick" the process "in the right direction".

From BBC

The UK did not sign that open letter - but it has been lobbying behind the scenes for talks on reforms.

From BBC

More than 140 leading Australian and international experts signed an open letter raising these concerns, among others, before the legislation passed.

From BBC

In his annual open letter, he wrote that the Big Ten would soon sign a TV-rights deal of significantly higher value.

From The Wall Street Journal