principle

[ prin-suh-puhl ]

/ ˈprɪn sə pəl /

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See synonyms for: principle / principles on Thesaurus.com

noun

an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a person of good moral principles.

a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived: the principles of modern physics.

a fundamental doctrine or tenet; a distinctive ruling opinion: the principles of the Stoics.

principles, a personal or specific basis of conduct or management: to adhere to one's principles; a kindergarten run on modern principles.

guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct: a person of principle.

an adopted rule or method for application in action: a working principle for general use.

a rule or law exemplified in natural phenomena, the construction or operation of a machine, the working of a system, or the like: the principle of capillary attraction.

the method of formation, operation, or procedure exhibited in a given case: a community organized on the patriarchal principle.

a determining characteristic of something; essential quality.

an originating or actuating agency or force: growth is the principle of life.

an actuating agency in the mind or character, as an instinct, faculty, or natural tendency: the principles of human behavior.

Chemistry. a constituent of a substance, especially one giving to it some distinctive quality or effect.

Obsolete. beginning or commencement.

OTHER WORDS FOR principle

2 theorem, axiom, postulate, proposition.

5 integrity, probity, rectitude, honor.

See synonyms for principle on Thesaurus.com

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…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about principle

in principle, in essence or substance; fundamentally: to accept a plan in principle.

on principle,

according to personal rules for right conduct; as a matter of moral principle: He refused on principle to agree to the terms of the treaty.
according to a fixed rule, method, or practice: He drank hot milk every night on principle.

Origin of principle

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, alteration of Middle French principe or Latin prīncipium, on the analogy of manciple; see principium

synonym study for principle

1-3. Principle, canon, rule imply something established as a standard or test, for measuring, regulating, or guiding conduct or practice. A principle is a general and fundamental truth that may be used in deciding conduct or choice: to adhere to principle. Canon, originally referring to an edict of the Church (a meaning that it still retains), is used of any principle, law, or critical standard that is officially approved, particularly in aesthetics and scholarship: canons of literary criticism. A rule, usually something adopted or enacted, is often the specific application of a principle: the golden rule.

words often confused with principle

See principal.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH principle

principal, principle (see confusables note at principal; see synonym study at the current entry)

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

How to use principle in a sentence

By grounding leadership on this subject in principle and an affirmation of fundamental democratic rights, CEOs can ensure that they are leading on this issue, while continuing to be good stewards of their organizations.
Why CEOs must take action on democracy and election integrity—and how they can do it|matthewheimer|August 27, 2020|Fortune
Next-generation prototypes will use the same artificial muscle principle with a speedier, more maneuverable design and a different fuel.
Methanol fuel gives this tiny beetle bot the freedom to roam|Carmen Drahl|August 19, 2020|Science News
Josh Silverman arrived at the solution via recursion and telescoping, while Lucas Fagan impressively solved it using the inclusion-exclusion principle.
Can The Hare Beat The Tortoise?|Zach Wissner-Gross|July 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
While efforts to build ethical principles into AI are already underway, they are nascent and in many contexts there are a vast number of potential strategies to choose from.
AI Behaving Badly: New Model Could Help AI Make More Ethical Choices|Edd Gent|July 6, 2020|Singularity Hub

That’s the assertion of ARK Invest, which today published a meta-analysis indicating the cost of training is improving at 50 times the pace of Moore’s law, the principle that computer hardware performance doubles every two years.
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through June 6)|Singularity Hub Staff|June 6, 2020|Singularity Hub
In the end, the clarity that comes from moments of horror can help us recommit to deeper principles.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
To be a liberal, you have to stand up for liberal principles.
Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But Cosby Truthers are applying their principles to the wrong cause.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
These matters are not mere threats to abstract constitutional principles.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The website, which as of now consists of just a homepage stating general principles, is indivisible.us.
The Democrats’ Black Hole—and What They Can Do About It|Michael Tomasky|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But to wave this discourse of Heathens, how many self-contradicting principles are there held among Christians?
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
The worst loss is that of Winston's ear; high principles won't obtain high explosives.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Not only have its fundamental principles been fully vindicated but in most details the working of the measure has been successful.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Chemistry has taught us that nicotine is only one among many principles which are contained in the plant.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
But the essential problem of to-day is to know how far we are to depart from its principles.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for principle (1 of 2)

principle

/ (ˈprɪnsɪpəl) /

noun

a standard or rule of personal conducta man of principle

(often plural) a set of such moral ruleshe'd stoop to anything; he has no principles

adherence to such a moral code; moralityit's not the money but the principle of the thing; torn between principle and expediency

a fundamental or general truth or lawfirst principles

the essence of somethingthe male principle

a source or fundamental cause; originprinciple of life

a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the behaviour of a systemthe principle of the conservation of mass

an underlying or guiding theory or beliefthe hereditary principle; socialist principles

chem a constituent of a substance that gives the substance its characteristics and behaviourbitter principle

in principle in theory or essence

on principle because of or in demonstration of a principle

Word Origin for principle

C14: from Latin principium beginning, basic tenet

usage for principle

Principle and principal are often confused: the principal (not principle) reason for his departure; the plan was approved in principle (not in principal)

British Dictionary definitions for principle (2 of 2)

Principle

/ (ˈprɪnsɪpəl) /

noun

Christian Science another word for God

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with principle

principle

see in principle; on principle.

principle

OTHER WORDS FOR principle

Idioms about principle

Origin of principle

synonym study for principle

words often confused with principle

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH principle

Words related to principle

How to use principle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for principle (1 of 2)

Word Origin for principle

usage for principle

British Dictionary definitions for principle (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with principle