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.
For Monk-Payton, that expectation functions almost like an unwritten agreement between a show and its viewers.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
But if the fighting in Iran stretches into a second month, heightening financial pressure on U.S. workers, the written and unwritten rules about office attendance could get put to the test.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
You're subjected to an unwritten contract, where blind devotion is exchanged for intermittent moments of joy - and large amounts of heartache and pain.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 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
It was an unwritten law in Bull Meecham’s squadron that anyone who neglected to bring back a shipment of Coors from the West Coast would be court-martialed upon his return and probably shot.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
