unwritten
/ˌʌnˈrɪtn/ (bre, ipa) · [ənrˈɪtən] /ˌʌnˈrɪtn/ (ame, ipa) · [ənrˈɪtən] /ˌən-ˈri-tᵊn How to pronounce unwritten (audio)/ (ame, mw)
unwritten — adjective
- unwrittenpositive
- more unwrittencomparative
- most unwrittensuperlative
1. not put into written or printed words, and passed on by speech or memory instead
not put into written or printed words, and passed on by speech or memory instead.
Nia cooked from an unwritten family recipe that her aunt taught by memory.
unwritten family recipe
For generations, the island's unwritten history survived in songs sung at weddings.
unwritten history
Christopher wrote down the unwritten safety steps after the first training day.
Minho learned the unwritten prayer by listening to his grandfather at dawn.
- oral
best when the main contrast is spoken rather than written
- unrecorded
stresses that no lasting record has been made
- undocumented
often used for missing papers, proof, or formal records
- written
the direct opposite when words are put on paper
- documented
stresses that details have been formally recorded
文法句型
an unwritten tradition/history/recipe
be unwritten
用法筆記
Usually describes knowledge, customs, promises, or wording that exists without being put on paper. Unlike sense 2, this sense does not by itself suggest a social rule that people are expected to follow.
2. accepted and followed as a rule or agreement because people expect it, although
accepted and followed as a rule or agreement because people expect it, although no official document states it.
At the bakery, an unwritten rule says the newest worker cleans the trays.
an unwritten rule says + clause
There is an unwritten law in our house: guests eat before hosts.
an unwritten law in + group
The team kept an unwritten agreement to share useful contacts with interns.
Around the night market, one unwritten rule is to greet older sellers first.
- customary
stresses that the rule comes from habit inside a group
- unofficial
focuses on lacking formal written or legal status
- understood
common when people follow the rule without stating it openly
文法句型
an unwritten rule/law/agreement
the unwritten rule is that + clause
用法筆記
Most often used with words like rule, law, code, or agreement. It refers to a shared expectation inside a group, even though no formal document states it.