Addressing
/əˈdrɛsɪŋ/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo direct speech or writing towards someone or something.
/əˈdrɛsɪŋ/
To speak or write to someone
He addressed the concerns of the employees.
💡 Simply: To talk or write to someone.
More Examples
The speaker is addressing the topic of climate change.
How It's Used
"She is addressing the audience."
"The president is addressing the nation on television."
To take action to deal with a problem or issue.
/əˈdrɛsɪŋ/
To deal with or tackle a problem
The company is addressing the complaints received from customers.
💡 Simply: To fix or handle a problem.
More Examples
The government is addressing the issue of unemployment.
How It's Used
"We need to address the issue of poverty."
"The IT team is addressing the network outage."
From "address," ultimately from Old French "adresser" (to direct, prepare), from Latin "ad-" (to) + "rectus" (straight, right). The meaning evolved from literally directing something to figuratively dealing with a problem or issue.
Historically, the word's usage focused primarily on the literal meaning of directing something towards a specific place. Its figurative use in addressing problems became more prevalent over time.
Memory tip
Think of sending a letter to an address.
Word Origin
"To make straight, to direct"