principled
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of principled
Explanation
If you decide to take a lower grade rather than cheat on a test, you are making a principled decision, or one that is based on moral rightness. Most people have a set of principles or basic moral rules that they follow. These might include not stealing, not cheating, and treating people as you would like to be treated. Decisions made following these rules are principled, as are people who follow their principles often. If you take a principled stance on censorship, your defend or refute it actively based on your convictions.
Vocabulary lists containing principled
President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
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They Called Us Enemy
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Obama's State of the Union Address, 2014
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pope Leo offers a needed model: Faith can be traditional without being closed, public without being coercive, and principled without being hostile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
"I felt he was really principled and I suddenly thought 'oh, I actually care about politics now'."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
His Derek Strange detective novels, including the just-published “The Blue Flame,” also features a highly principled protagonist driven by values Chandler would recognize.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Or is it what we call avoidance when we want avoidance to sound principled?
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Virginia's true position was less principled than it looked.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
