addressee

noun

ad·​dress·​ee ˌa-ˌdre-ˈsē How to pronounce addressee (audio)
ə-
: one to whom something is addressed

Examples of addressee in a Sentence

The addressee no longer lives here, so I've returned the letter to the post office.
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.
My words will probably never reach their addressee, someone who will read them properly. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 May 2026 Few artists share her command of the spatial dimensions of narrative required to guide an addressee between points of divergence and contention. — Erika Landström, Artforum, 2 June 2026 But the real addressees of Putin's message were in Kyiv, Washington and London. — Mark Trevelyan and Andrew Osborn, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024 When emailing professors or researchers, students should be polite and professional, clearly articulating their own interests and goals before expressing their interest in contributing to whatever ongoing project the addressee may be conducting. — Christopher Rim, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

address entry 1 + -ee entry 1

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of addressee was in 1810

Rhymes for addressee

See All Rhymes for addressee

Browse Nearby Words

address bus
addressee
addresser
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Addressee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/addressee. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

addressee

noun
ad·​dress·​ee ˌad-ˌres-ˈē How to pronounce addressee (audio)
ə-ˌdres-ˈē
: one to whom mail is addressed

More from Merriam-Webster on addressee

Nglish: Translation of addressee for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All