open letter

noun

: a published letter of protest or appeal usually addressed to an individual but intended for the general public

Examples of open letter in a Sentence

In an open letter to the company, a citizens' group implored company executives to reconsider their decision to close the factory.

Recent Examples on the Web

In their open letter defending Ruffalo, the progressive Jewish cohort argued the actor was right to draw links between Israel’s behavior and the merger. — Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026

The time, for example, at the age of 15, when Fernandez wrote an open letter to Lionel Messi, posting it on Facebook after Argentina had lost the 2016 Copa America final to Chile. — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Ruffalo’s collaborator Kenneth Lonergan penned an open letter defending him against the antisemitism accusations. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026

Earlier this year, an open letter from agency leadership warned against using federal funds to buy harm reduction supplies like sterile syringes and pipes, or to distribute test strips for common drug supply contaminants. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for open letter

• carburetter
• carburettor
• abettor
• newsletter
• typesetter
• better
• bettor
• debtor
• fetter
• getter
• netter
• petter

Kids Definition

open letter

noun

: a letter (as one addressed to an official) for the public to see and printed in a newspaper or magazine