hate mail

IPA/ˈheɪt meɪl/
IPA/ˈheɪt meɪl/

hate mail — noun

1. messages — letters, emails, or online posts — that attack, insult, or threaten t

1.nounB1
Definition

messages — letters, emails, or online posts — that attack, insult, or threaten the person who receives them, often sent without the writer giving their name

Example

Charlotte found three pieces of hate mail in her letterbox the next morning.

collocation: a piece of hate mail / pieces of hate mail

Kenji showed the hate mail to the school principal after class.

Common collocations
  • send hate mail
  • receive hate mail
  • a piece of hate mail
  • anonymous hate mail
Synonyms
  • abusive messages

    broader term covering cruel communication in any form, not just postal or electronic messages

  • poison-pen letters

    old-fashioned term for anonymous handwritten letters meant to distress the recipient

Antonyms
  • fan mail

    admiring messages sent to a public figure

Common Mistakes

I received a hate mail this morning.
I received hate mail this morning.' or 'I received a piece of hate mail this morning.
'hate mail' is uncountable; you cannot say 'a hate mail'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hate mail refers to hostile messages sent directly to a person by post or electronically. It is personal and targeted — someone has chosen to attack you, not just shout into a crowd. The term 'abusive messages' is broader: it covers cruel communication in any form, including insults shouted in a pub or scrawled on a wall, not just messages delivered to your inbox or letterbox. 'Poison-pen letters' is an old-fashioned, specifically postal term that carries a whiff of vintage crime fiction — it refers to anonymous handwritten letters intended to wound, and using it today for an angry email sounds dated. 'Online harassment' is the digital-age umbrella: it includes hate mail sent through social media or email, but also doxxing, impersonation, and coordinated pile-ons, making it much wider in scope. If the message arrives in your mailbox or inbox and its purpose is to hurt or threaten you, it is hate mail.

abusive messagespoison-pen lettersonline harassment

Common collocations

Nouns

  • piece of hate mail

Phrases

  • send hate mail
  • receive hate mail
  • anonymous hate mail
  • flooded with hate mail

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'hate' comes from Old English hatian ('to hate'), while 'mail' traces back to Old French male ('bag' or 'pouch'), which later came to mean the postal system. The compound 'hate mail' appeared in the early twentieth century as postal communication became widespread and people could send hostile letters to strangers more easily.