Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

principled

American  
[prin-suh-puhld] / ˈprɪn sə pəld /

adjective

  1. imbued with or having moral principles (often used in combination).

    high-principled.
principled British  
/ ˈprɪnsɪpəld /

adjective

    1. having high moral principles

    2. ( in combination )

      high-principled
"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 Word Forms

  • misprincipled adjective
  • nonprincipled adjective
  • well-principled adjective

Etymology

Origin of principled

First recorded in 1635–45; principle + -ed 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“A country entrusting lethal decisions to a system that doesn’t share its loyalties is taking a profound risk, even if that system is trying to be principled,” Claude added.

From Los Angeles Times

Habib said his two newest recruits "exemplify the kind of public servants Advance UK exists to support - principled, serious people who want to represent their communities honestly and without fear".

From BBC

Worse, in the context of today’s flyaway stock market, he is a principled, value-minded, dogmatic nonconformist.

From The Wall Street Journal

If consciousness emerges from physical processes in biological brains, there’s no principled reason to believe similar processes in artificial systems couldn’t give rise to it too.

From The Wall Street Journal

She wants to be seen as principled and reasonable without ever taking a stand that would alienate a lucrative audience segment.

From Salon

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.