Writing & StyleStyle guide

V/R Meaning in Email

“V/R” is an abbreviation for “Very Respectfully” used as an email closing in U.S. military correspondence. Official Navy professional-etiquette guidance recognizes both the full phrase and “V/R” in subsequent email responses, giving the abbreviation a clear contextual rather than universal professional use.

Quick answer

“V/R” means “Very Respectfully.” It is a compact email closing associated especially with U.S. military correspondence; outside that context, a more familiar sign-off may be clearer.

Key details

Core Issue“V/R” is an abbreviation of “Very Respectfully” used as an email closing in U.S. military correspondence contexts.
Phrase Roleemail sign-off
Registermilitary / formal correspondence

Important caveats

Context Boundary

The cited Navy guidance treats “Very Respectfully” or “V/R” as sufficient in subsequent email responses. Outside military or closely related government contexts, spelling out the closing or using a more familiar professional sign-off may be clearer.

Further guidance

Meaning

“V/R” expands to “Very Respectfully.” It appears as a closing immediately before the sender’s name or signature information.

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. Naval Acquisition Development Program Consolidated Quick Reference Guide — Professional Etiquette (opens in a new tab)U.S. Department of the Navy · Official email-etiquette guidance recognizing “Very Respectfully” or “V/R” in subsequent email responses

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Re: Meaning in Email

In email reply subjects, “Re:” is the conventional marker showing that the message concerns the original subject. RFC 5322 explicitly describes it as an abbreviation of Latin “in re,” meaning “in the matter of,” and recommends a single instance rather than repeatedly stacking “Re:” prefixes.

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