as in oral
made or carried on through speaking rather than in writing
an unwritten contract may not be enforceable
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Recent Examples of unwritten
There are two immutable truths that govern the NFL playoffs — unwritten rules that cut through the noise of EPA models and talking-head bluster.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Is there an unwritten rule about being a bland professional and not showing any personality?
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
One of the most essential, if unwritten, rules is restraint.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 31 Dec. 2025
At this point, Grant thinks proficiency with AI tools is an unwritten expectation of many employers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwritten
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
Is there an unwritten rule about being a bland professional and not showing any personality?
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
One of the most essential, if unwritten, rules is restraint.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 31 Dec. 2025
At this point, Grant thinks proficiency with AI tools is an unwritten expectation of many employers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unwritten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwritten
Adjective
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Kennedy has been encouraging the use of two drugs to treat measles — budesonide (an inhaled steroid) and clarithromycin (an oral antibiotic) — but there is no scientific evidence that either work, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Rolling Stone,
7 Feb. 2026
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The change to English-only testing applies to all driver license classifications, including oral exams, according to FLHSMV.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The teams exchanged verbal insults before Anthony Sapienza punched one of the victims and struck him in the face with a pickleball paddle, according to the affidavit.—
Storey Wertheimer,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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But cowriting forced them to at least create a verbal outline, spending hours on the phone getting to know the characters before trading off chapters and editing each other’s work.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Research is split on the best way to educate deaf kids — whether that be through listening and spoken language, ASL or a mix of both.—
Claire Rafford,
IndyStar,
9 Feb. 2026
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This followed the 500th large-group interpretive dance number of the evening, featuring dozens of performers in polyurethane suits doing movement set to a spoken word about how war is, actually, bad.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwritten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwritten. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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