correspondent

1 of 2

adjective

cor·​re·​spon·​dent ˌkȯr-ə-ˈspän-dənt 

ˌkär-

1

: corresponding

2

: fitting, conforming

—used with with or to

The outcome was entirely correspondent with my wishes.

correspondent

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: one who communicates with another by letter

b

: one who has regular commercial relations with another

c

: one who contributes news or commentary to a publication (such as a newspaper) or a radio or television network often from a distant place

a war correspondent

2

: something that corresponds

Synonyms of correspondent

Adjective

• similar
• analogous
• like
• comparable
• alike
• such
• corresponding

Noun

• reporter
• journalist

Examples of correspondent in a Sentence

Adjective

reading and writing are actually correspondent activities

Noun

When writing to business correspondents, use a formal tone.

a correspondent in the Middle East bureau just filed a new report on the coup

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Two correspondents sent Lemisch the identical sanitary disposal bags, printed with the Liberty Bell, that had suddenly appeared in the women’s bathroom in their campus library. —New York Times, 1 May 2026

The Manhattan apartment of CBS News special correspondent Anthony Mason could serve as an annex to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. —Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

After the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which claimed some 300,000 lives, Chardy set out to confirm first-hand whether such a high toll was possible in response to an editor’s skeptical questions, said Jacqueline Charles, the Herald’s longtime Haiti and Caribbean correspondent. —Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026

Tribune correspondents Ronald Yates — who was one of the last American journalists to leave Phnom Penh when the Cambodian capital fell to insurgents just weeks earlier — and Philip Caputo lost contact with the newspaper in South Vietnam just before Saigon was overtaken by communist North Vietnam. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French, from Medieval Latin correspondent-, correspondens, present participle of correspondēre — see correspond

Noun

see correspond

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1639, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing correspondent

• foreign correspondent

Rhymes for correspondent

• despondent
• respondent
• fondant

Kids Definition

correspondent

1 of 2 adjective

cor·​re·​spon·​dent ˌkȯr-ə-ˈspän-dənt 

1

: similar sense 1

2

: being in agreement : fitting

correspondent

2 of 2 noun

1

: something that corresponds to something else

2

a

: one who communicates with another by letter

b

: one who contributes news to a newspaper or newscast often from a distant place