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principal

[ prin-suh-puhl ]

/ ˈprɪn sə pəl /

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adjective

first or highest in rank, importance, value, etc.; chief; foremost: The principal problem is a lack of money.She's the principal advisor on the council.

of, of the nature of, or constituting principal or capital: Though our portfolio has seen losses, the principal investment remains untouched.

Geometry. (of an axis of a conic) passing through the foci.

noun

a chief or head.

the head or director of a school or, especially in England, a college.

a person who takes a leading part in any activity, as a play; chief actor or doer.

the first player of a division of instruments in an orchestra (excepting the leader of the first violins).

something of principal or chief importance.

Law.

a person who authorizes someone else, such as an agent, to represent them.
a person directly responsible for a crime, either as an actual perpetrator or as an abettor present at its commission.Compare accessory (def. 3).

a person primarily liable for an obligation, in contrast with an endorser, or the like.

the main body of an estate, or the like, as distinguished from income.

Finance. a capital sum, as distinguished from interest or profit.

Music.

an organ stop.
the subject of a fugue.

(in a framed structure) a member, as a truss, upon which adjacent or similar members depend for support or reinforcement.

each of the combatants in a duel, as distinguished from the seconds.

OTHER WORDS FOR principal

1 prime, paramount, leading, main, cardinal, preeminent.

4 leader.

5 headmaster, dean, master.

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OPPOSITES FOR principal

1 secondary, ancillary.

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VIDEO FOR PRINCIPAL

Words Of A High School Principal

A high-school principal may not be a very glamorous profession, but this woman recognized it as a chance to influence the young minds of the next generation.

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QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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Origin of principal

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin prīncipālis “first, chief,” equivalent to prīncip- (see prince) + -ālis -al¹

synonym study for principal

1. See capital¹.

words often confused with principal

The noun principle and the noun and adjective principal are often confused. Although pronounced alike, the words are not interchangeable in writing. A principle is broadly “a rule of action or conduct” ( His overriding principle is greed ) or “a fundamental doctrine or tenet” ( Their principles do not permit the use of alcoholic beverages ). The adjective principal has the general sense “chief, first, foremost”: My principal objection is the cost of the project. The noun principal has among other meanings “the head or director of a school” ( The faculty supported the principal in her negotiations with the board ) and “a capital sum, as distinguished from interest or profit” ( The monthly payments go mostly for interest, leaving the principal practically untouched ).

OTHER WORDS FROM principal

prin·ci·pal·ship, nounun·der·prin·ci·pal, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH principal

principal , principle (see usage note at the current entry)

Words nearby principal

princess regent, princess royal, princess tree, Princeton, Prince William Sound, principal, principal argument, principal axis, principal boy, principal clause, principal diagonal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use principal in a sentence

Rickie Stanley, Hill’s former teammate at Mount Vernon High and now the assistant principal at the school, sensed something was wrong.
A rare disease, a covid diagnosis, a painful decision: The death of basketball coach Lew Hill|Dave Sheinin|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
The teenager was an “all-around good soul,” said Damon Monteleone, principal of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville.
Montgomery high school senior, athlete, slain, Howard County police say|Martin Weil|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
I got promoted at a very young age to assistant principal, and yeah, I was off and running.
The Educator Fighting to Rectify the Achievement Gap|Esabelle Lee|February 6, 2021|Ozy
The principal treatments for cancer at the time consisted of surgery and radiation.
Emil Freireich, a pioneer of chemotherapy and a ‘towering figure in oncology,’ dies at 93|Emily Langer|February 4, 2021|Washington Post

However, as a former teacher and principal and in my experience as an educator, I can tell you, when I have 15 students in front of me versus 28, I am able to give more specialized attention to those 15 students.
Five key moments from education secretary nominee Miguel Cardona’s confirmation hearing|Valerie Strauss|February 3, 2021|Washington Post
The leak suggests that Mr. Obama remains blind to the principal cause of his foreign policy woes.
Before Ditching His Top Aides, Obama Should Look in the Mirror|Leslie H. Gelb|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Spire rests on the same basic principal as the old-school fountains.
Font of Invention||September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But younger members of the community who encountered the man as a principal had a different tale to tell.
This 'Holy Guy'—and Grandfather of 100—Is Accused of Sexually Abusing a Student|Batya Ungar-Sargon|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He recalled one event, when he was playing with a friend, Areah, when the principal came outside and found them.
This 'Holy Guy'—and Grandfather of 100—Is Accused of Sexually Abusing a Student|Batya Ungar-Sargon|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In an ultra-Orthodox enclave of upstate New York, a former student has accused a principal of sex acts.
This 'Holy Guy'—and Grandfather of 100—Is Accused of Sexually Abusing a Student|Batya Ungar-Sargon|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is the first and principal point at which we can stanch the wastage of teaching energy that now goes on.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
"The Smoker," and "Mother and Daughter," a triptych, are two of her principal pictures.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
It is the principal waste-product of metabolism, and constitutes about one-half of all the solids excreted—about 30 gm.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The principal room or "hall" will accommodate about 1,000 persons, the remaining portion of the premises being let off in offices.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Thomas Barnes, principal editor of the Times newspaper, died in London, aged 56.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for principal

principal

/ (ˈprɪnsɪpəl) /

adjective (prenominal)

first in importance, rank, value, etc; chief

denoting or relating to capital or property as opposed to interest, etc

noun

a person who is first in importance or directs some event, action, organization, etc

(in Britain) a civil servant of an executive grade who is in charge of a section

law

a person who engages another to act as his agent
an active participant in a crime
the person primarily liable to fulfil an obligation

the head of a school or other educational institution

(in Scottish schools) a head of department

finance

capital or property, as contrasted with the income derived from it
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated

a main roof truss or rafter

music

the chief instrumentalist in a section of the orchestra
one of the singers in an opera company
either of two types of open diapason organ stops, one of four-foot length and pitch and the other of eight-foot length and pitch

the leading performer in a play

Derived forms of principal

principalship, noun

Word Origin for principal

C13: via Old French from Latin principālis chief, from princeps chief man, prince

undefined principal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for principal

principal

The original amount of money lent, not including profits and interest.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.