unwritten constitution
noun
: a constitution not embodied in a single document but based chiefly on custom and precedent as expressed in statutes and judicial decisions
Examples of unwritten constitution in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Like James Bond’s martinis, the British people could be shaken by world events—the Suez Crisis of 1956, the collapse of the pound sterling in 1992—but they would never be stirred enough to make their own system of government, rooted in the mysteries of its unwritten constitution, truly volatile.
—
Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2023
The divorce brought to power Boris Johnson, who tested Britain’s unwritten constitution.
—Jill Lawless, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Dec. 2023
But there is a greater imperative even than Charles' adherence to Britain's unwritten constitution.
—Joseph Romm, CNN, 16 Sep. 2022
The lack of any mechanism to punish a prime minister who is found to have misled Parliament, Ms. White said, exposed a flaw in Britain’s unwritten constitution and political arrangements.
—New York Times, 19 Apr. 2022
Nineteenth-century Britons celebrated their unwritten constitution.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2021
Until the American Revolution, most free countries in the world preferred an unwritten constitution of customs and norms established over time.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 26 Nov. 2020
Britain’s unwritten constitution does not have a clear rule for what happens if a prime minister becomes incapacitated or dies.
—Danica Kirka, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2020
Britain's unwritten constitution does not have a clear rule for what happens if a prime minister becomes incapacitated or dies.
—Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2020
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Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2023
The divorce brought to power Boris Johnson, who tested Britain’s unwritten constitution.
—Jill Lawless, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Dec. 2023
But there is a greater imperative even than Charles' adherence to Britain's unwritten constitution.
—Joseph Romm, CNN, 16 Sep. 2022
The lack of any mechanism to punish a prime minister who is found to have misled Parliament, Ms. White said, exposed a flaw in Britain’s unwritten constitution and political arrangements.
—New York Times, 19 Apr. 2022
Nineteenth-century Britons celebrated their unwritten constitution.
—Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2021
Until the American Revolution, most free countries in the world preferred an unwritten constitution of customs and norms established over time.
—Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 26 Nov. 2020
Britain’s unwritten constitution does not have a clear rule for what happens if a prime minister becomes incapacitated or dies.
—Danica Kirka, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2020
Britain's unwritten constitution does not have a clear rule for what happens if a prime minister becomes incapacitated or dies.
—Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Unwritten constitution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unwritten%20constitution. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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