pen pal

American  

noun

1. a person with whom one keeps up an exchange of letters, usually someone so far away that a personal meeting is unlikely.

   My niece in Texas has a pen pal in France.

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pen pal British  

noun

1. Also called: pen friend.  a person with whom one regularly exchanges letters, often a person in another country whom one has not met

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Etymology

Origin of pen pal

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

“He’s just an incredibly loving soul,” said actor Debra Winger, a pen pal and close friend of Robbins’.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2025

Sigrid shared similar experiences, offering that “your pen pal will change your perspective on life, and you will gain as much as they do from the correspondence.”

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2023

I chuckled because I wasn’t sure what was more comical: the persistence of this long-lost pen pal or the thought of me ever leaving L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 21, 2023

In the song “I Don’t Know His Name,” Amalia concludes that her anonymous pen pal — even though he is, in fact, a co-worker she hates — must be an extremely kind and cultured man:

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2023

You are the best pen pal that I have ever had.

From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda

Related Words

• letter writer