unwritten constitution

American  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of unwritten constitution

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Under Britain's unwritten constitution, the royal family is supposed to remain above politics and Elizabeth kept her opinions to herself during her reign of more than seven decades.

From Reuters • Sep. 9, 2022

The queen-in-training took lessons on Britain’s unwritten constitution from a tutor hired from Eton, the country’s most exclusive boys’ school, and learned to speak French, play the piano and sing.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2022

Constitution had a complementary unwritten constitution of knowledge, a template for creating a knowing process to support a free society.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2022

Britain has an unwritten constitution, and therefore while there is guidance in documents such as the Cabinet Manual -- it is not always explicitly set out what must happen in extreme circumstances.

From Fox News • Apr. 7, 2020

Thus in the United Kingdom we have an unwritten constitution.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton