unwritten

American  

[uhn-rit-n] / ʌnˈrɪt n /

adjective

1. not actually formulated or expressed; customary; traditional.

   Synonyms:

   inferred, tacit, understood, implicit

2. not written; not put in writing or print; oral.

   an unwritten agreement.

3. containing no writing; blank.

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unwritten British  

/ ʌnˈrɪtən /

adjective

1. not printed or in writing

2. effective only through custom; traditional

3. without writing upon it

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Etymology

Origin of unwritten

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English unwriten; un- ¹, written

Example Sentences

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

“Smoglandia” is a great California yarn, and one with the ending still unwritten.

From Los Angeles Times

An unwritten rule has it that the top UN post rotates among the world's main regions, and now it's the turn of Latin America.

From Barron's

I began to think less about unvisited places and more about unwritten novels.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Related Words

• accepted
• tacit
• verbal