unspoken
adj.understood by everyone involved even though nobody has said it out loud. It describes a feeling, a rule, or an agreement that is clear without words.
adj.not expressed in speech; understood or agreed upon without being articulated. Often describes social norms, agreements, or emotional tensions that remain implicit.
“They have an unspoken agreement to share the chores.”
“There was an unspoken rule in the office that no one should talk about work during the lunch break.”
“The tension between the two rivals was palpable, rooted in an unspoken history of competition that everyone in the room acknowledged but no one dared to mention.”
Typically used attributively before a noun like 'rule', 'agreement', or 'understanding'.
From un- + spoken.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.