poison pen letters
Anonymous hateful mail
Poison pen letters are anonymous messages written to hurt, threaten, or harass the recipient.
The content is typically malicious—accusations, insults, or disturbing threats—sent without identifying the author.
The term evokes an era of typed or handwritten letters, though the practice continues digitally: She received poison pen letters accusing her of an affair.
- epistleFormal literary letter
- anonymousOf unknown origin
- nasty gramHostile written communication
- maliciousMeaning to do harm
- mean spiritedHaving a petty, unkind nature
hate mail · threatening · slanderous · defamatory · character assassination · spiteful · harassing · intimidating · libelous · cyberbullying · smear campaign · scathing · hateful · psychological abuse · emotional distress · verbal assault · blackmail notes · venomous
- defamationslander, libel, defamation, defamatory statement, defaming
- correspondencemissives, emails, memoranda, mail, postcards
- folk literaturefolk tales, folk sayings, folk literature, folk wisdom, oral histories
poison pen letterslove letters
Romantic written messages
fan mail · thank-you notes · letters of recommendation · valentines · praise
poison pen letterspeace offerings
Gifts meant to reconcile
condolence letters · sympathy cards · olive branches · greeting cards · mending fences
poison, letter, poisons, poisoned, poisoning, poisonous, poisoner, pens, penned