What does "missive" mean?

A written message; a letter, note or memo.

What is a synonym for "missive"?

Common synonyms include: message, acknowledgment, answer, billet, chit, communication.

adj, noun

adj, noun ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A written message; a letter, note or memo. formal
"[Y]ou / Did pocket vp my Letters: and with taunts / Did gibe my Miſive out of audience."
2
a written message addressed to a person or organization wordnet
3
Letters sent between two parties in which one makes an offer and the other accepts it. in-plural
4
One who is sent; a messenger. obsolete
"Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it came missives from the King, who all hailed me ‘Thane of Cawdor,’ by which title these Weird Sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time with ‘Hail king that shalt be.’"

Adjective

1
Specially sent; intended or prepared to be sent. not-comparable
"a letter missive"
2
Serving as a missile; intended to be thrown. not-comparable, obsolete
"In vain with Darts a diſtant War they try, / Short, and more ſhort the miſſive weapons fly."

"I'll bring him up in the missive I'll address to her."

15th century; from Medieval Latin missīvus, from mittō (“to send”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.