poison-pen

[ poi-zuhn-pen ]

adjective

1. composed or sent maliciously, as a letter, usually anonymously and for the purpose of damaging another's reputation or happiness:

   The newspaper received a poison-pen letter alleging that the mayor was misusing city funds.

2. characterized by or given to the sending of poison-pen letters:

   a poison-pen campaign; a poison-pen writer.

Word History and Origins

Origin of poison-pen¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

But between that one devastating tweet and this poison pen, perhaps the bodyguard was on to something.

From The Daily Beast

The reader encounters "little poison-pen Gobby," a naughty boy who keeps on writing bare-faced lies.

From The Daily Beast

The poison-pen puzzle, as it came to be known in the department, first bobbed up some six months before Allison tackled it.

From Project Gutenberg

These letters were certainly of the variety she had heard classed as poison pen.

From Project Gutenberg

Did you know anything about the poison-pen letters in Madison?

From Project Gutenberg