PRINCIPLE Definition & Meaning

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principle

[ prin-suh-puhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.
Synonyms: , , ,
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.
Synonyms: , , ,
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.

Principle

/ ˈ��ɪ�Բ�ɪ��ə�� /

noun

Christian Science another word for God

principle

/ ˈ��ɪ�Բ�ɪ��ə�� /

noun

a standard or rule of personal conduct
a man of principle
often plural a set of such moral rules
he has no principles
he'd stoop to anything
adherence to such a moral code; morality
torn between principle and expediency
it's not the money but the principle of the thing
a fundamental or general truth or law
first principles
the essence of something
the male principle
a source or fundamental cause; origin
principle of life
a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the behaviour of a system
the principle of the conservation of mass
an underlying or guiding theory or belief
socialist principles
the hereditary principle
chem a constituent of a substance that gives the substance its characteristics and behaviour
bitter principle
in principle
in theory or essence
on principle
because of or in demonstration of a principle

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Usage

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

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Confusables Note

See principal.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of principle¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, alteration of Middle French principe or Latin ��ī�Գ��辱�ܳ�, on the analogy of manciple; principium

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of principle¹

C14: from Latin principium beginning, basic tenet

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Idioms and Phrases

in principle, in essence or substance; fundamentally:
to accept a plan in principle.
on principle,
1. 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.
2. according to a fixed rule, method, or practice:
  He drank hot milk every night on principle.

More idioms and phrases containing principle

see in principle ; on principle .

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Synonym Study

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I think the point of making coalitions of people who are moderates is, in fact, not to sacrifice your principle; to continue to be the radical Vanguard.

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He added that the implementation of martial law "damaged people's basic political rights" and "violated the principles of the rule of law and democracy".

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“His sense of humanity and his unconditional commitment and love for the most vulnerable were the guiding principles for all the actions he led, no matter the challenges he faced in his later years.”

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"The so-called 'International Criminal Court' lost its moral authority after trampling the fundamental principles of international law in its zest for harming Israel's right to self-defence," Sa'ar added.

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MPs in Westminster voted in favour of assisted dying in principle last November but remain bitterly divided on the issue.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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