What does postscript mean?
A postscript is a note, explanation, or supplementary section placed after the main text of a book, letter, document, or message. It may provide additional information, clarify an earlier point, or reflect on events that occurred after the main account was written. The word is especially common in formal correspondence, where a writer can add a brief comment at the end of a letter without changing the body of the message. In books and essays, a postscript can be a formal concluding section that revisits the subject or supplies additional context. In modern informal usage, “postscript” may describe any follow-up communication, including an email or message sent after an earlier exchange. Its familiar association with the end of a letter gives the word a broader sense of a final or supplementary thought, although the term is not restricted to written correspondence.
A note or section added after the main text of a book, letter, document, or other work, often providing supplementary information or commentary.
"The postscript explains the decision that was made after the article went to press."
Also used informally for a brief follow-up message or additional comment.
To add a postscript to a letter, document, or other written work.
"She postscripted the letter to explain why she would be delayed."
Less common than the noun use; often used in formal or literary contexts.
The plural is used when referring to several supplementary notes or sections.
"The editor included several postscripts discussing the manuscript's disputed sources."
A postscript is a text's way of getting the last word—even after the ending was supposed to be final.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of postscript
Postscript comes from Latin postscriptum, meaning “written after.” The word entered English through the combination of the Latin prefix post-, meaning “after,” and scriptum, a form of scribere, meaning “to write.” Related English words such as prescribe, proscribe, and transcribe come from other compounds involving forms of the same Latin root.
How postscript is actually used
The term is formal but widely understood. It is especially common in letters and formal correspondence, and in literary or historical works to describe a concluding section. In everyday use, it can also refer to a brief follow-up message or update.
Easily confused with postscript
A postscript follows the main text of a work, whereas a preface or foreword comes before it.
A script is the written text or performance of a work, while a postscript is specifically an addition after the main text.