as in letter
a message on paper from one person or group to another
the two old friends like to fire off missives filled with good-natured teasing and mock insults
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Recent Examples of missive
After Republican Congressman Tim Burchett likened Jack White to Wednesday Addams in a snarky social media post to gin up a reaction from MAGA supporters, the musician responded on Tuesday with a 384-word missive on Instagram.
—
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2025
Sharp, whose long face looks a bit like Prince William’s, was standing outside on the sidewalk fielding questions from colleagues and a stream of smartphone missives from his chief collaborator on the project—the movie director Wes Anderson, the installation’s headliner.
—Bruce Handy, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Even the Fashion Charter’s missive is riddled with good intentions that may or may not translate into meaningful progress, MacGilp said.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Dec. 2025
Buffett used the missive to heap praise on his successor, ensuring investors that the company remains in steady hands.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for missive
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2025
Sharp, whose long face looks a bit like Prince William’s, was standing outside on the sidewalk fielding questions from colleagues and a stream of smartphone missives from his chief collaborator on the project—the movie director Wes Anderson, the installation’s headliner.
—Bruce Handy, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Even the Fashion Charter’s missive is riddled with good intentions that may or may not translate into meaningful progress, MacGilp said.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Dec. 2025
Buffett used the missive to heap praise on his successor, ensuring investors that the company remains in steady hands.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for missive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missive
Noun
-
As the years go on, the combinations of letters are only going to get longer.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
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There are wooden crosses and paintings, flowers and candles and hundreds of messages and letters along the snowy sidewalk.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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As a proud dad, the 38-year-old wrote his firstborn a sweet epistle to acknowledge his birthday.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
7 Feb. 2025
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One of the earliest witnesses to the spread of Christianity, the codex features the first epistle of Peter and the Book of Jonah.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN,
3 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Missive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missive. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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