unwritten
Americanadjective
-
not actually formulated or expressed; customary; traditional.
- Synonyms:
- inferred, tacit, understood, implicit
-
not written; not put in writing or print; oral.
an unwritten agreement.
-
containing no writing; blank.
adjective
-
not printed or in writing
-
effective only through custom; traditional
-
without writing upon it
Etymology
Origin of unwritten
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English unwriten; see un- 1, written
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The thought that leads me to contemplate with dread the erasure of other voices, of unwritten novels, poems whispered or swallowed for fear of being overheard — that thought is a nightmare,” she said.
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
"There seems to have been an unwritten convention that if victims meekly surrendered their valuables, they deserved at least a small favor," he says.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026
“Smoglandia” is a great California yarn, and one with the ending still unwritten.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
The High North has long been shielded by the concept of "Arctic exceptionalism" -- the notion that the region had its own set of unwritten rules of cooperation which were immune to geopolitical rivalries.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
There was an unwritten law that nothing was to be molested that stood outside the door where it belonged.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
