# unwritten

/ənˈɹɪtən/ (US) · /ʌnɹˈɪtən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/unwritten
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. implicit or understood

adjective · CEFR B2

describes a rule or agreement that people follow even though it is not written down in a law or contract.

For teachers: referring to social norms, rules, or agreements that are implicit and understood by a group without being formally articulated or codified.

- There was an unwritten rule in the office that you never took the last cup of coffee.
- The organization relied on a complex set of unwritten rules to maintain order, which often confused new employees accustomed to formal handbooks.

### 2. oral or spoken

adjective · CEFR B2

passed from person to person by speaking rather than by writing.

For teachers: communicated or transmitted through speech or tradition rather than through written records.

- The tribe maintained an unwritten history that was passed down through stories.
- Scholars have struggled to document the unwritten traditions of the region, as many of the elders who hold the knowledge are passing away.

### 3. blank or empty

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

having no writing on it yet.

For teachers: containing no written marks or text; remaining in a blank state.

- She stared at the unwritten page, waiting for an idea to come to her.
- The poet viewed the unwritten scroll not as a void, but as a space of infinite potential for his next masterpiece.

## Examples

- There is an unwritten rule about who sits where at lunch.
- In many offices, there is an unwritten agreement that the person who finishes the coffee must brew the next pot.
- The stability of the parliamentary system relies heavily on unwritten conventions that dictate how power is transferred between parties after an election.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.