unwritten rule
Understood social norm
An unwritten rule is a behavioral expectation understood within a group but never formally stated or codified.
These conventions govern social situations through shared understanding rather than explicit instruction: There's an unwritten rule that you don't take the last donut without offering to split it.
Unwritten rules often carry as much force as official ones.
- tacit agreementConsent without words
- folkwayTraditional group behavior
- implicitUnderstood without being stated
- customHabitual group practice
- conventionAgreed standard of behavior
tacit understanding · principle · handshake deal · tradition · honor code · practice · moral obligation · honor system · good faith · mores · ethical obligation · social contract · common practice · implicit understanding · assumed consent · old boys club · faux pas · locker room
- ruleslaw, guideline, bylaw, standard, norm
- social codessocial norms, social norm, social scripts, social roles, cultural norm
- informal agreementsverbal agreement, oral agreement, handshake deal, gentleman's agreement, verbal contract
- unwritten agreementshandshake deal, verbal contract, oral agreement, gentleman's agreement, mutual understanding
- beliefsbelief, beliefs, creed, creeds, faith
- conventionsconvention, conventions, delegates, conference, attendee
unwritten rulewritten law
Enacted and recorded legislation
statute · law · legislation · ordinance · bylaw
unwritten rulelegal mandate
Law-required duty
criminal law · contractual obligation · judicial ruling · decree · edict
unwritten rulelaw
Binding principle or regulation
legislation · regulation · ordinance · mandate · decree
rule, writer, writing, rules, written, wrote, writes, writers, writings