prin·ci·ple

(prĭn′sə-pəl)

1. A basic truth, law, or assumption: the principles of democracy.

a. A rule or standard, especially of good behavior: a man of principle.

b. The collectivity of moral or ethical standards or judgments: a decision based on principle rather than expediency.

3. A fixed or predetermined policy or mode of action.

4. A basic or essential quality or element determining intrinsic nature or characteristic behavior: the principle of self-preservation.

5. A rule or law concerning the functioning of natural phenomena or mechanical processes: the principle of jet propulsion.

6. Chemistry One of the elements that compose a substance, especially one that gives some special quality or effect.

7. A basic source. See Usage Note at principal.

Idioms:

in principle

With regard to the basics: an idea that is acceptable in principle.

on principle

According to or because of principle.

[Middle English, alteration of Old French principe, from Latin prīncipium, from prīnceps, prīncip-, leader, emperor; see per in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adv.

in principle - with regard to fundamentals although not concerning details; "in principle, we agree"

in essence, in theory

Translations

مِن حَيْثُ المَبْدأ

v podstatě

i princippet

grundsätzlich im Prinzip

κατ' αρχήν

en principio en teoría

en principe

elvben

í grundvallaratriîum

in via di principio principio

i prinsippet

geneldeilke olarak

原则上

principle

(ˈprinsəpəl) noun

1. a general truth, rule or law. the principle of gravity.

2. the theory by which a machine etc works. the principle of the jet engine.

ˈprinciples noun plural

one's own personal rules or standards of behaviour. It is against my principles to borrow money.

in principle

in general, as opposed to in detail.

on principle

because of one's principles. I never borrow money, on principle.

high moral principles (not principals).

References in periodicals archive

Here are Buddhist meditation principles which are nondenominational in principle and presentation to appeal to a wide audience.

A Year to Enlightenment

The social and natural worlds may ultimately not be fully known or knowable, perhaps not merely even to human beings but even in principle. But rather than dwell on the anxiety this may cause and seek to fashion comprehensive ideologies and forms of identity that regard all difference as a threat, why not strive to cultivate within others and most especially ourselves a capacity to take joy in the multitudes we as individuals and groups contain?

Terror, evil, and the new Cold War

It also commands that humanity "adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguard Earth's regenerative capacities, human rights, and community wellbeing." This directive would require, in principle, abolishing property rights, and even the right to life, where the "greater good" of the "community of life" requires it.

Hijacking "Spaceship Earth": claiming that Earth is a spaceship with limited resources requiring central control, globalists are steering humanity into the black hole of UN-dominated world government. (Cover Story: Science Fiction)