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dead letter
noun
a law, ordinance, etc., that has lost its force but has not been formally repealed or abolished.
a letter that cannot reach the addressee or be returned to the sender, usually because of incorrect address, and that is sent to and handled in a special division or department dead-letteroffice of a general post office.
dead letter
noun
a letter that cannot be delivered or returned because it lacks adequate directions
a law or ordinance that is no longer enforced but has not been formally repealed
informalanything considered no longer worthy of consideration
Other Word Forms
- dead-letter adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of dead letter1
Idioms and Phrases
An unclaimed or undelivered letter that is eventually destroyed or returned to the sender. For example, She moved without leaving a forwarding address, so her mail ended up in the dead letter office . [c. 1700]
A statute or directive that is still valid but in practice is not enforced. For example, The blue laws here are a dead letter; all the stores open on Sundays and holidays . [Second half of 1600s]
Example Sentences
The Congress as it is currently composed, with Republican majorities in both chambers, is a dead letter when it comes to restraining the outright undemocratic insanity of this president.
This, Kagan says, renders impeachment and conviction virtually a dead letter.
Now, thanks to Republican opposition in Congress, it could be a dead letter.
In two other states, Georgia and Mississippi, top Republicans have signaled willingness to discuss expansion this year so the issue isn’t a dead letter.
That effort would involve rallying deeply anti-spending Republicans around a stopgap funding bill that is likely to be a dead letter in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
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