1 unwritten | Definition of unwritten

unwritten

adjective
un·​writ·​ten | \ ˌən-ˈri-tᔊn How to pronounce unwritten (audio) \

Definition of unwritten

1 : not expressed in writing : oral, traditional an unwritten rule
2 : containing no writing : blank

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for unwritten

Synonyms

nuncupative, oral, spoken, verbal, viva voce, word-of-mouth

Antonyms

paper, written

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of unwritten in a Sentence

They had an unwritten agreement. an unwritten contract may not be enforceable

Recent Examples on the Web

And websites have focused on the unwritten rules for communal water sports. Patrick May, The Mercury News, "Yes, water park etiquette is a thing: Brawl over towel at Northern California park raises questions about rules," 27 Aug. 2019 At the street food market, there are many rules — all of them unwritten. Los Angeles Times, "In the Piñata District, a street food market is a theater that overwhelms the senses," 18 July 2019 At Broccoli magazine’s inaugural cannabis festival, the dress code was unwritten, but understood. Ella Riley-adams, Vogue, "At Portland’s “Weed Prom,” Women Gathered to Celebrate and Strategize," 11 July 2019 So, what are the unwritten rules of dating without exclusivity? Jenna Birch, Washington Post, "When you’re dating but not exclusive, where do you draw the lines?," 19 Aug. 2019 The Little League World Series doesn't start until Thursday, but drama is already heating up over the game's unwritten rules. Jenna West, SI.com, "Coach Accuses Rhode Island Team in Little League World Series of Stealing Signs," 14 Aug. 2019 And Norwegians are generally quite introverted, so breaking unwritten rules can often bring some unwanted attention and shame. Heidi Taksdal Skjeseth, Billboard, "At Norway's Oya Festival, a Sea of Hands but Few People Filming With Cell Phones," 12 Aug. 2019 Another one of baseball's unwritten rules was broken again. Evan Hilbert, USA TODAY, "An MLB fan threw 96 MPH. He's now under contract," 4 Aug. 2019 That’s the unwritten code of civility and compromise Virginia’s lawmakers have long said sets them apart from the quarrelsome mob in Congress. Washington Post, "Meet the Virginia lawmaker who protested President Trump at Jamestown," 3 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unwritten.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of unwritten

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for unwritten

unwritten

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unwritten

: spoken or understood without being written

unwritten

adjective
un·​writ·​ten | \ ˌən-ˈri-tᔊn How to pronounce unwritten (audio) \

Kids Definition of unwritten

: not in writing : followed by custom unwritten law

Keep scrolling for more