addressee
ad-re-SEE
/ˌædreˈsiː/
The person to whom something, typically a letter or package, is addressed.
Focuses on the name and address written on the item, representing the intended recipient.
The story behind the word. Addressee is formed by adding the suffix '-ee' (denoting the recipient of an action) to 'address'. 'Address' comes from the French 'adresser' (to direct or guide), which traces back to the Vulgar Latin 'addirectiare' (to make straight), from Latin 'directus' (straight).
Word relationships
- recipient: The addressee is the person named on the envelope; the recipient is the person who actually takes possession of it.
- consignee: Consignee is a commercial term for the receiver of cargo, while addressee is used for general mail and packages.
- sender: The person who writes and sends the letter, whereas the addressee is the intended receiver.
- addresser: The person who addresses the letter, though this term is rarely used compared to 'sender'.
Commonly confused with
- address: The address is the physical location, while the addressee is the person who lives or works at that location.
Word family
- address (verb): To write the destination on a letter; to speak to someone.
- addressed (verb): Having an address written on it.
Collocations
- intended addressee
- name of the addressee
- unknown addressee
- return to addressee
Example sentences
- "The letter was returned to the sender because the addressee had moved without leaving a forwarding address." Returned mail
- "The mailroom clerk sorted the incoming packages by the name of the addressee." Office mailroom
Memory hook
The 'addressee' is the person at the 'address' who is meant to receive the mail. Addressee: The person named on the address.
When not to use
Do not use to describe the person who actually receives the item if they are different from the named person (e.g., a receptionist).
Fun facts
- In linguistic theory, an 'addressee' is the person to whom an utterance or speech act is directed, not just a recipient of physical mail.
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.