Synonyms for principle
ˈprɪn sə pəlprin·ci·ple

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. principlenoun

   Moral rule or aspect.

   Synonyms:
   tenet

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. principle

   Doctrine primarily signifies that which is taught; principle, the fundamental basis on which the teaching rests. A doctrine is reasoned out, and may be defended by reasoning; a dogma rests on authority, as of direct revelation, the decision of the church, etc. A doctrine or dogma is a statement of some one item of belief; a creed is a summary of doctrines or dogmas. Dogma has commonly, at the present day, an offensive signification, as of a belief arrogantly asserted. Tenet is simply that which is held, and is applied to a single item of belief; it is a neutral word, neither approving nor condemning; we speak of the doctrines of our own church; of the tenets of others. A precept relates not to belief, but to conduct. Compare FAITH; LAW.

   Synonyms:
   article of belief, article of faith, belief, doctrine, dogma, precept, teaching, tenet

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.7 / 6 votes

1. principle

   Synonyms:
   source, origin, motive, cause, energy, substance, element, power, faculty, truth, tenet, law, doctrine, axiom, maxim, postulate, rule

   Antonyms:
   exhibition, manifestation, application, development, issue, exercise, operation, formation, action

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. principle, rulenoun

   a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct

   "their principles of composition characterized all their works"

   Synonyms:
   precept, rationale, convention, rule, normal, pattern, ruler, prescript, regulation, formula, linguistic rule, dominion

2. principlenoun

   a rule or standard especially of good behavior

   "a man of principle"; "he will not violate his principles"

   Synonyms:
   rationale, precept, rule

3. principlenoun

   a basic truth or law or assumption

   "the principles of democracy"

   Synonyms:
   rationale, precept, rule

4. principle, rulenoun

   a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system

   "the principle of the conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion"; "the right-hand rule for inductive fields"

   Synonyms:
   precept, rationale, convention, rule, normal, pattern, ruler, prescript, regulation, formula, linguistic rule, dominion

5. principle, preceptnoun

   rule of personal conduct

   Synonyms:
   rationale, precept, commandment, teaching, rule

6. rationale, principlenoun

   (law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature)

   "the rationale for capital punishment"; "the principles of internal-combustion engines"

   Synonyms:
   rationale, precept, rule

Matched Categories

1. • Explanation
   • Generalization
   • Law
   • Rule
   • Value

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. principlenoun

   Synonyms:
   origin, source, cause, spring, mainspring, fountain, groundwork, prime mover, fountain-head

2. principlenoun

   Synonyms:
   element, substratum, fundamental or primordial substance

3. principlenoun

   Synonyms:
   postulate, axiom, law, elementary proposition, fundamental truth

4. principlenoun

   Synonyms:
   doctrine, tenet, dogma, opinion, maxim, rule

5. principlenoun

   Synonyms:
   ground, motive, reason

6. principlenoun

   Synonyms:
   integrity, uprightness, rectitude, probity, honesty, virtue, righteousness, incorruptibility, goodness, trustworthiness, trustiness, worth, honor

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "principle":

   principles, beginning, principled, outset, premise, principe, concept, start, tenet, doctrine, rule, assumption, theory, principal, basis, idea, notion

Suggested Resources

1. Principle

   Principle vs. Principal -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Principle and Principal.

2. Principle

   Principal vs. Principle -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Principal and Principle.

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How to use principle in a sentence?

1. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn:

   After two years of failed negotiations, the House of Commons has delivered its verdict on her Brexit deal, and that verdict is absolutely decisive, her governing principle of delay and denial has reached the end of the line.

2. Jeb Bush:

   Trump is wrong on this, he's doing this. He's not a stupid guy. Don't think he thinks every Mexican crossing the border is a rapist. He's doing this to inflame and incite and to draw attention, which seems to be his organizing principle of his campaign.

3. Ursula K. Le Guin:

   To me the female principle is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by force. It has been the male who enforces order, who constructs power structures, who makes, enforces, and breaks laws.

4. Bidens First 100 DaysHere:

   The fundamental principle of getting people vaccinated as quickly and as efficiently as you possibly can will always be the best way to prevent the further evolution of any mutant, because when you do that, you prevent replication, and replication is essential for mutation.

5. Natasha Kennedy:

   It's huge because it means that for the first time... governments and donors must include people with disability as a principle of global development and not as an afterthought.