[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/unwritten/)

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# unwritten

adjective (unwritten)

«unwritten» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Unwritten means not written down; existing only in speech or memory. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#m1)
2. An unwritten rule is one that everybody follows or knows, even though nobody wrote it down. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#m2)
3. Unwritten can also mean not yet written, like an unwritten story or chapter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#m3)

### In the lessons

In everyday life: unwritten rules, like not taking the last biscuit or queuing politely. In history and law: the UK has an «unwritten constitution» (not one single document). In language lessons: some languages are unwritten, passed on by speaking.

### Examples

- It's an unwritten rule not to sit in Grandad's chair. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#x1)
- The UK is said to have an unwritten constitution. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#x2)
- Some languages are still unwritten. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#x3)
- The ending of the story is still unwritten. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#x4)
- Queuing at the bus stop is an unwritten rule. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#x5)
- The old songs were unwritten and passed on by singing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#x6)
- The response of Uncle Remus led to the earnest recital of a piece of unwritten history that must prove interesting to ethnologists. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/#x7)

### Note

From the irregular verb «write – wrote – written»; double t. Opposite: «written». An unwritten rule is real even though it has no paper.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «unwritten» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/unwritten/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«unwritten» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/unwritten.html) on Mova free.