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

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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Last month, Paramount condemned an open letter in support of Palestinians, which has gained steam in Hollywood.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In an open letter to the prime minister on Monday ahead of his Washington visit, Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre urged Carney to "negotiate a win".

Read more on BBC

He has written an open letter highlighting what he believes are errors in the police investigation dating back to the day she went missing.

Read more on BBC