missive

noun

mis·​sive ˈmi-siv How to pronounce missive (audio)
: a written communication : letter
wrote a lengthy missive to her father

Examples of missive in a Sentence

She received yet another lengthy missive from her father. the two old friends like to fire off missives filled with good-natured teasing and mock insults
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even as Hegseth put a brave face on the state of his nomination fight, Trump issued no social media missives in his defense. Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 4 Dec. 2024 The 1994 missive warned that the Internet was an existential threat to Microsoft, prompting Gates to make the web central to everything the company did. Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 About a week later, the paper received a furious missive from a reader. Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 26 Nov. 2024 In a win for the team, Judge Subramanian has also ordered that notes found during a recent raid on Diddy’s cell be destroyed, as prosecutors confiscated a total of 19 missives from his cell, NBC News reports. Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 22 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for missive 

Word History

Etymology

Middle French lettre missive, literally, letter intended to be sent

First Known Use

circa 1553, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of missive was circa 1553

Dictionary Entries Near missive

Cite this Entry

“Missive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/missive. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

missive

noun
mis·​sive ˈmis-iv How to pronounce missive (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on missive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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