An addressee is the person to whom something is addressed or directed, especially a letter, package, or message. When you write a letter and put someone's name on the envelope, that person is the addressee. The addressee is who should receive and open what you've sent.

You'll often see the word addressee on official forms, shipping labels, and formal letters. When filling out a package slip, there's usually a box for “Addressee Name and Address.” This simply means: who should get this package, and where do they live?

The addressee is different from the sender (the person who sent it). If you mail a birthday card to your grandmother, she's the addressee and you're the sender. If the mail carrier can't find the addressee at the given address, the package might be returned to the sender. In email programs, the addressee is sometimes called the recipient, which means the same thing in less formal language.