A principle is a general belief that you have about the way you should behave, which influences your behaviour.
Buck never allowed himself to be bullied into doing anything that went against hisprinciples.
...moral principles.
It's not just a matter of principle.
...a man of principle.
2. countable noun [adjective NOUN]
The principlesof a particular theory or philosophy are its basic rules or laws.
...a violation of the basic principles of Marxism. [+ of]
The doctrine was based on three fundamental principles.
Synonyms: belief, rule, standard, attitude More Synonyms of principle
3. countable noun [usually adjective NOUN]
Scientific principles are general scientific laws which explain how something happens or works.
These people lack all understanding of scientific principles. [+ of]
...the principles of quantum theory.
Synonyms: rule, idea, law, theory More Synonyms of principle
4.
See in principle
5.
See in principle
6.
See on principle
More Synonyms of principle
principle in British English
(ˈprɪnsɪpəl)
noun
1.
a standard or rule of personal conduct
a person of principle
2. (often plural)
a set of such moral rules
he has no principles
3.
adherence to such a moral code; morality
it's not the money but the principle of the thing
torn between principle and expediency
4.
a fundamental or general truth or law
first principles
5.
the essence of something
the female principle
6.
a source or fundamental cause; origin
principle of life
7.
a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the behaviour of a system
the principle of the conservation of mass
8.
an underlying or guiding theory or belief
the hereditary principle
socialist principles
9. chemistry
a constituent of a substance that gives the substance its characteristics and behaviour
bitter principle
10. in principle
11. on principle
▶ USAGE Principle and principal are often confused: the principal (not principle) reason for his departure; the plan was approved in principle (not in principal)
Word origin
C14: from Latin principium beginning, basic tenet
Principle in British English
(ˈprɪnsɪpəl)
noun
Christian Science another word for God
principle in American English
(ˈprɪnsəpəl)
noun
1.
the ultimate source, origin, or cause of something
2.
a natural or original tendency, faculty, or endowment
3.
a fundamental truth, law, doctrine, or motivating force, upon which others are based
moral principles
4.
a.
a rule of conduct, esp. of right conduct
b.
such rules collectively
c.
adherence to them; integrity; uprightness
a man of principle
5.
an essential element, constituent, or quality, esp. one that produces a specific effect
the active principle of a medicine
6.
a.
the scientific law that explains a natural action
the principle of cell division
b.
the method of a thing's operation
the principle of a gasoline engine is internal combustion
Idioms:
in principle
on principle
Word origin
ME, altered < MFr principe < L principium: see principium
COBUILD Collocations
principle
a principle applies
basic principle
biblical principles
fundamental principle
guiding principle
moral principle
sound principle
violate a principle
Examples of 'principle' in a sentence
principle
Waddington let him talk, acting on the old principle that one should never commit too soon.
Forbes, Bryan A SONG AT TWILIGHT (1989)
I just feel this is a good time to be suspicious on principle.
Ferrars, Elizabeth THE OTHER DEVIL'S NAME (1989)
He fumbled after a principle, some general notion of decency to support his instinctive certainty.
McKewan, Ian THE INNOCENT (1989)
Quotations
It is always easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to themAlfred Adler
The most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediencyW. Somerset MaughamThe Circle
In other languages
principle
British English: principle /ˈprɪnsɪpl/ NOUN
A principle is a belief that you have about the way you should behave.
...moral principles.
American English: principle
Arabic: مَبْدَأ
Brazilian Portuguese: princípio fundamento
Chinese: 原则
Croatian: princip
Czech: princip
Danish: princip
Dutch: principe
European Spanish: principio concepto
Finnish: periaate
French: principe
German: Prinzip
Greek: αρχή ιδεολογία
Italian: principio
Japanese: 主義
Korean: 원칙
Norwegian: prinsipp
Polish: zasada
European Portuguese: princípio fundamento
Romanian: principiu
Russian: принцип
Latin American Spanish: principio razón fundamental
Swedish: princip
Thai: หลักปฏิบัติ
Turkish: ilke
Ukrainian: принцип
Vietnamese: nguyên tắc
All related terms of 'principle'
in principle
If you agree with something in principle , you agree in general terms to the idea of it, although you do not yet know the details or know if it will be possible .
on principle
If you refuse to do something on principle , you refuse to do it because of a particular belief that you have.
basic principle
The principles of a particular theory or philosophy are its basic rules or laws.
first principle
one of the fundamental assumptions on which a particular theory or procedure is thought to be based
moral principle
A principle is a general belief that you have about the way you should behave , which influences your behaviour.
Peter Principle
the facetious proposition that each employee in an organization tends to be promoted until reaching his or her level of incompetence
sound principle
The principles of a particular theory or philosophy are its basic rules or laws.
banking principle
the principle that bank notes are a form of credit and should be issued freely in order to maintain an elastic currency
bitter principle
any of various bitter-tasting substances, such as aloin , usually extracted from plants
Carnot principle
the principle that no heat engine can be more efficient than one operating on a Carnot cycle of reversible changes
currency principle
the principle that banks should be permitted to issue notes only against bullion or coin
Fermat's principle
the principle that a ray of light passes from one point to another in such a way that the time taken is a minimum
Gause's principle
the principle that similar species cannot coexist for long in the same ecological niche
guiding principle
The principles of a particular theory or philosophy are its basic rules or laws.
pleasure principle
the idea that psychological processes and actions are governed by the gratification of needs. It is seen as the governing process of the id , whereas the reality principle is the governing process of the ego
reality principle
control of behaviour by the ego to meet the conditions imposed by the external world
anthropic principle
the cosmological theory that the presence of life in the universe limits the ways in which the very early universe could have evolved
Archimedes' principle
a law of physics stating that the apparent upward force ( buoyancy ) of a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the displaced fluid
Bernoulli's principle
the principle that in a liquid flowing through a pipe the pressure difference that accelerates the flow when the bore changes is equal to the product of half the density times the change of the square of the speed , provided friction is negligible
cosmological principle
the theory that the universe is uniform , homogenous , and isotropic , and therefore appears the same from any position
d'Alembert's principle
the principle that for a moving body the external forces are in equilibrium with the inertial forces; a generalization of Newton's third law of motion
exclusion principle
→ Pauli exclusion principle
fundamental principle
The principles of a particular theory or philosophy are its basic rules or laws.
governing principle
a fundamental moral rule that guides and influences how something is done
Maupertuis principle
→ the Maupertuis principle
uncertainty principle
the principle that energy and time or position and momentum of a quantum mechanical system, cannot both be accurately measured simultaneously. The product of their uncertainties is always greater than or of the order of h , where h is the Planck constant
verification principle
(in the philosophy of the logical positivists) the doctrine that nontautologous statements are meaningful only if it is in principle possible to establish empirically whether they are true or false
a principle applies
The principles of a particular theory or philosophy are its basic rules or laws.
correspondence principle
the principle that the laws of quantum mechanics and of any new theory that may be developed reduce to the laws of Newtonian mechanics and electromagnetic theory when applied to systems in which Planck's constant can be regarded as negligible , wavelengths are comparatively small, dimensions are relatively large, etc
four eyes principle
the requirement that a business transaction be approved by at least two individuals
indeterminacy principle
→ uncertainty principle
precautionary principle
the precept that an action should not be taken if the consequences are uncertain and potentially dangerous
principle of economy
→ the principle of economy
the Peter Principle
the theory , usually taken facetiously, that all members in a hierarchy rise to their own level of incompetence
violate a principle
The principles of a particular theory or philosophy are its basic rules or laws.
Le Chatelier's principle
the principle that if a system in chemical equilibrium is subjected to a disturbance it tends to change in a way that opposes this disturbance
the Maupertuis principle
the principle that motion between any two points in a conservative dynamical system is such that the action has a minimum value with respect to all paths between the points that correspond to the same energy
greatest happiness principle
the ethical principle that an action is right in so far as it promotes the greatest happiness of the greatest number of those affected
Pauli exclusion principle
the principle that two identical fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state in a body such as an atom
principle of indifference
the principle that, in the absence of any reason to expect one event rather than another, all the possible events should be assigned the same probability
principle of least action
the principle that motion between any two points in a conservative dynamical system is such that the action has a minimum value with respect to all paths between the points that correspond to the same energy
principle of superposition
any of several physical laws that the resultant of similar vector quantities at a point is a function of the sum of the individual quantities, esp. the law that the displacement at a point in a medium undergoing simple harmonic motion is equal to the sum of the displacements of each individual wave
Ritz combination principle
the principle that the frequencies of lines in atomic spectra can be represented as differences of a smaller number of terms, all characteristic of the emitting system, interpreted in quantum theory as the emission of exactly one photon in a transition between energy levels
the principle of economy
a maxim , attributed to William of Ockham , stating that in explaining something assumptions must not be needlessly multiplied
Heisenberg uncertainty principle
→ uncertainty principle
trichotomy property
the property that for natural numbers a and b , either a is less than b , a equals b , or a is greater than b
Ockham's razor
a maxim , attributed to William of Ockham , stating that in explaining something assumptions must not be needlessly multiplied
to agree to/approve of sth in principle原则(則)上同意/批准某事 (yuánzé shang tóngyì/pīzhǔn mǒushì)
on principle根据(據)原则(則) (gēnjù yuánzé)
1 (noun)
Definition
a set of such moral rules
He would never compromise his principles.They had great trust in him as a man of principle.
Synonyms
morals
standards
ideals
honour
I can no longer serve with honour as a member of your government.
virtue
His mother was held up to the family as a paragon of virtue.
ethics
integrity
I have always regarded him as a man of integrity.
conscience
morality
an effort to preserve traditional morality
decency
scruples
probity (formal)
a woman renowned for her moral probity
rectitude
people of the utmost rectitude
moral standards
sense of duty
moral law
sense of honour
uprightness
a contest in which courage and uprightness win through
kaupapa (New Zealand)
2 (noun)
Definition
a moral rule guiding personal conduct
a violation of the basic principles of Marxism
Synonyms
belief
He refuses to compete on Sundays because of his religious beliefs.
rule
An important rule is to drink plenty of water.
standard
My father has always had high moral standards.
attitude
the general change in attitude towards them
code
notion
the notion that musical ability is present from birth
He has a realistic notion of his capabilities.
criterion
Exam results shouldn't be the only criterion for your choice of school.
ethic
doctrine
the Marxist doctrine of perpetual revolution
canon
These measures offended all the accepted canons of political economy.
creed
The centre is open to all, no matter what race or creed.
maxim
I believe in the maxim `if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
dogma
the dogma of the Immaculate Conception
tenet
Non-violence is the central tenet of their faith.
dictum
the dictum that it is preferable to be roughly right than precisely wrong
credo
axiom
the long-held axiom that education leads to higher income
3 (noun)
Definition
a general law in science
the principles of quantum theory
Synonyms
rule
idea
It's a good idea to keep a stock of tins in the cupboard.
law
the laws of the Church of England
theory
basis
The UN plan is a possible basis for negotiation.
truth
His mission is to uphold truth, justice and the American way.
concept
She added that the concept of arranged marriages is misunderstood in the west.
formula
The new peace formula means hostilities have ended.
fundamental
assumption
essence
Some claim that Ireland's very essence is expressed through its language.
proposition
the proposition that monarchs derived their authority by divine right
verity
golden rule
precept
the precepts of Buddhism
phrase
See in principle
Usage note
Principle and principal are often confused: the principal (not principle) reason for his departure; the plan was approved in principle (not principal).
Quotations
It is always easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them [Alfred Adler]The most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency [W. Somerset Maugham – The Circle]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of attitude
Definition
the way a person thinks and behaves
the general change in attitude towards them
Synonyms
opinion,
thinking,
feeling,
thought,
view,
position,
approach,
belief,
mood,
perspective,
point of view,
stance,
outlook,
viewpoint,
slant,
frame of mind
in the sense of axiom
Definition
a generally accepted principle
the long-held axiom that education leads to higher income
Synonyms
principle,
fundamental,
maxim,
gnome,
adage,
postulate,
dictum,
precept,
aphorism,
truism,
apophthegm
in the sense of basis
Definition
a principle on which something depends
The UN plan is a possible basis for negotiation.
Synonyms
foundation,
support,
base,
ground,
footing,
theory,
bottom,
principle,
premise,
starting point,
groundwork,
point of departure,
principal element,
chief ingredient
Synonyms of 'principle'
principle
Explore 'principle' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of canon
Definition
a general rule or standard
These measures offended all the accepted canons of political economy.
Synonyms
rule,
standard,
principle,
regulation,
formula,
criterion,
dictate,
statute,
yardstick,
precept
in the sense of concept
Definition
an abstract or general idea
She added that the concept of arranged marriages is misunderstood in the west.
Synonyms
idea,
view,
image,
theory,
impression,
notion,
conception,
hypothesis,
abstraction,
conceptualization
in the sense of creed
Definition
a system of beliefs or principles
The centre is open to all, no matter what race or creed.
Synonyms
belief,
principles,
profession,
doctrine,
canon,
persuasion,
dogma,
tenet,
credo,
catechism,
articles of faith
in the sense of criterion
Definition
a standard by which something can be judged or decided
Exam results shouldn't be the only criterion for your choice of school.
Synonyms
standard,
test,
rule,
measure,
principle,
proof,
par,
norm,
canon,
gauge,
yardstick,
touchstone,
bench mark
in the sense of dictum
Definition
a popular saying or maxim
the dictum that it is preferable to be roughly right than precisely wrong
Synonyms
saying,
saw (old-fashioned),
maxim,
adage,
proverb,
precept,
axiom,
gnome
in the sense of doctrine
Definition
a principle or body of principles that is taught or advocated
the Marxist doctrine of perpetual revolution
Synonyms
teaching,
principle,
belief,
opinion,
article,
concept,
conviction,
canon,
creed,
dogma,
tenet,
precept,
article of faith,
kaupapa (New Zealand)
in the sense of dogma
Definition
a doctrine or system of doctrines proclaimed by authority as true
the dogma of the Immaculate Conception
Synonyms
doctrine,
teachings,
principle,
opinion,
article,
belief,
creed,
tenet,
precept,
credo,
article of faith,
code of belief,
kaupapa (New Zealand)
in the sense of essence
Definition
the most important and distinctive feature of something, which determines its identity
Some claim that Ireland's very essence is expressed through its language.
Synonyms
fundamental nature,
nature,
being,
life,
meaning,
heart,
spirit,
principle,
soul,
core,
substance,
significance,
entity,
bottom line,
essential part,
kernel,
crux,
lifeblood,
pith,
quintessence,
basic characteristic,
quiddity
in the sense of formula
Definition
a plan or set of rules for doing or producing something
The new peace formula means hostilities have ended.
Synonyms
method,
plan,
policy,
rule,
principle,
procedure,
recipe,
prescription,
blueprint,
precept,
modus operandi,
way
in the sense of honour
Definition
allegiance to moral principles
I can no longer serve with honour as a member of your government.
Synonyms
integrity,
principles,
morality,
honesty,
goodness,
fairness,
decency,
righteousness,
probity (formal),
rectitude,
trustworthiness,
uprightness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of idea
Definition
a scheme, intention, or plan
It's a good idea to keep a stock of tins in the cupboard.
Synonyms
plan,
scheme,
proposal,
design,
theory,
strategy,
method,
solution,
suggestion,
recommendation,
proposition
in the sense of integrity
Definition
honesty
I have always regarded him as a man of integrity.
Synonyms
honesty,
principle,
honour,
virtue,
goodness,
morality,
purity,
righteousness,
probity (formal),
rectitude,
truthfulness,
trustworthiness,
incorruptibility,
uprightness,
scrupulousness,
reputability
in the sense of law
Definition
a rule or body of rules made by the legislature or other authority
the laws of the Church of England
Synonyms
rule,
order,
ruling,
principle,
standard,
direction,
regulation,
guideline,
decree,
maxim,
ordinance,
tenet,
dictum,
precept
in the sense of maxim
Definition
a brief expression of a general truth, principle, or rule of conduct
I believe in the maxim `if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
Synonyms
saying,
motto,
adage,
proverb,
rule,
saw (old-fashioned),
gnome,
dictum,
axiom,
aphorism,
byword,
apophthegm
in the sense of morality
Definition
good moral conduct
an effort to preserve traditional morality
Synonyms
virtue,
justice,
principles,
morals,
honour,
integrity,
goodness,
honesty,
purity,
decency,
fair play,
righteousness,
good behaviour,
propriety,
chastity,
probity (formal),
rectitude,
rightness,
uprightness
in the sense of notion
Definition
an idea or opinion
the notion that musical ability is present from birthHe has a realistic notion of his capabilities.
Synonyms
idea,
view,
opinion,
belief,
concept,
impression,
judgment,
sentiment,
conception,
apprehension,
inkling,
mental image or picture,
picture
in the sense of precept
Definition
a rule of conduct
the precepts of Buddhism
Synonyms
rule,
order,
law,
direction,
principle,
command,
regulation,
instruction,
decree,
mandate,
canon,
statute,
ordinance,
commandment,
behest,
dictum
in the sense of probity
Definition
honesty
a woman renowned for her moral probity
Synonyms
integrity,
worth,
justice,
honour,
equity,
virtue,
goodness,
morality,
honesty,
fairness,
fidelity,
sincerity,
righteousness,
rectitude,
truthfulness,
trustworthiness,
uprightness
in the sense of proposition
Definition
a statement that affirms or denies something and is capable of being true or false
the proposition that monarchs derived their authority by divine right
Synonyms
theory,
idea,
argument,
concept,
thesis,
hypothesis,
theorem,
premise,
postulation
in the sense of rectitude
Definition
moral or religious correctness
people of the utmost rectitude
Synonyms
morality,
principle,
honour,
virtue,
decency,
justice,
equity,
integrity,
goodness,
honesty,
correctness,
righteousness,
probity (formal),
incorruptibility,
scrupulousness,
uprightness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of standard
Definition
a moral principle of behaviour
My father has always had high moral standards.
Synonyms
principles,
ideals,
morals,
rule,
ethics,
canon,
moral principles,
code of honour
in the sense of tenet
Definition
a principle on which a belief or doctrine is based
Non-violence is the central tenet of their faith.
Synonyms
principle,
rule,
doctrine,
creed,
view,
teaching,
opinion,
belief,
conviction,
canon,
thesis,
maxim,
dogma,
precept,
article of faith,
kaupapa (New Zealand)
in the sense of truth
His mission is to uphold truth, justice and the American way.
Synonyms
honesty,
principle,
honour,
virtue,
integrity,
goodness,
righteousness,
candour,
frankness,
probity (formal),
rectitude,
incorruptibility,
uprightness
in the sense of uprightness
a contest in which courage and uprightness win through
Synonyms
honesty,
justice,
virtue,
integrity,
goodness,
fairness,
righteousness,
probity (formal),
rectitude,
faithfulness,
trustworthiness,
straightforwardness,
high-mindedness,
incorruptibility
in the sense of virtue
Definition
moral goodness
His mother was held up to the family as a paragon of virtue.