as in letter
a message on paper from one person or group to another
the epistles of Saint Paul to various communities of early Christians
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Recent Examples of epistle
One of the earliest witnesses to the spread of Christianity, the codex features the first epistle of Peter and the Book of Jonah.
—
Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Yet the novel evolved incrementally from public to private, epistle to narrative as the scope of the vision enlarged.
—David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2024
The Pauline epistles contain numerous references to women who were instrumental in the leadership of the early church: Phoebe, a deaconess; Chloe; Apphia; Euodia; Nympha; Junia.
—Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
The Rapture has no scriptural basis besides an obviously metaphorical verse in Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians.
—Michael Robbins, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for epistle
Lianne Kolirin, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Yet the novel evolved incrementally from public to private, epistle to narrative as the scope of the vision enlarged.
—David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2024
The Pauline epistles contain numerous references to women who were instrumental in the leadership of the early church: Phoebe, a deaconess; Chloe; Apphia; Euodia; Nympha; Junia.
—Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
The Rapture has no scriptural basis besides an obviously metaphorical verse in Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians.
—Michael Robbins, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for epistle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epistle
letter
Noun
-
In a letter to senators earlier this year, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that between January and November of last year, 261 DACA recipients were arrested and 86 were removed from the country.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
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His mother’s family has a history of males whose names begin with the letter R.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Epistle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epistle. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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