penfriend

P3E1N1F4R1I1E1N1D2

noun

A person, often in a foreign country, with whom one exchanges friendly correspondence but whom one never or rarely meets.

Similar
pen pal
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Meanings

nounpenfriend (plural penfriends)

plural penfriends

  1. A person, often in a foreign country, with whom one exchanges friendly correspondence but whom one never or rarely meets.

    I would like a penfriend, not for financial support or headgames, but just for a caring conversation.

    1988 May 7, Jeff Hershberger, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, page 13

    Synonyms: pen pal

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA person, often in a foreign country, with whom one exchanges friendly correspondence but whom one never or rarely meets.

Similar
pen pal
Also see
pen pal

Origin

From pen + friend.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

penfriend. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penfriend

MLA

“penfriend.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penfriend. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “penfriend,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penfriend.

Source: penfriend on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.