principal

[ prin-suh-puhl ]

See synonyms for principal on Thesaurus.com

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.

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.

confusables note For 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 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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Other words from principal

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

Words that may be confused with principal

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

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

How to use principal in a sentence

The journalists were, quite correctly, writing about the principals in the case: Amanda, Meredith, Raffaele, Rudy Guede.
Amanda Knox: A Mother’s Obsession | Nina Darnton | November 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Libertarian political principles must be applicable to practical politics or what are political principals for?
My Coffee Klatch With Rand Paul | P. J. O’Rourke | September 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
However, she also closed schools, fired teachers and principals, and opposed the idea of tenure.
A Letter of Thanks to Michelle Rhee | Dmitri Mehlhorn | August 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They correlate an evaluation of teachers and principals with student performances.
Why Middle School Should Be Abolished | David C. Banks | July 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is up to local superintendents and principals to select curricula that comply with the standards.
The Incredibly Stupid War on the Common Core | Charles Upton Sahm | April 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Is it necessary to add that, the two principals in the business being well pleased, everybody else was satisfied?
The Garret and the Garden | R.M. Ballantyne
I shall send for Mr. Sharp, and she touched the button which rang the bell in the principals office.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. Morrison
It rose and rose again, at last to display only the principals, down to the final two who had closed the play.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. Morrison
The production had been very carefully prepared; the principals endeavoured to do their best.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste Tchaikovsky
As for "little May," she burst into tears, though the principals had shed no tears.
A Houseful of Girls | Sarah Tytler

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

Origin of principal

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

principal

See principle

Derived forms of principal

principalship, noun

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.

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