unwritten constitution

noun

1. a constitution, as in Great Britain, not codified as a document but defined by custom and precedent as embodied in statutes and judicial decisions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of unwritten constitution¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

That is the biggest revolution in this unwritten Constitution of ours that I can suggest.

From Project Gutenberg

There is an unwritten constitution, a spirit that governs, like Maeterlinck's "spirit of the hive."

From Project Gutenberg

And conduct sinning against the broad lines of the unwritten Constitution is looked on as hardly less unlikely.

From Project Gutenberg

The written Law and the unwritten Constitution alike exempt the Sovereign from all ordinary personal responsibility.

From Project Gutenberg

The unwritten Constitution lays the agents and advisers of the Crown under a responsibility of quite another kind.

From Project Gutenberg