Reference.com

890 results for: principle

Dictionary Entries (10 more entries. View all »)
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Cite This Source
prin·ci·ple    Audio Help   [prin-suh-puhl] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a person of good moral principles.
2.a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived: the principles of modern physics.
3.a fundamental doctrine or tenet; a distinctive ruling opinion: the principles of the Stoics.
4.principles, a personal or specific basis of conduct or management: to adhere to one's principles; a kindergarten run on modern principles.
5.guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct: a person of principle.
6.an adopted rule or method for application in action: a working principle for general use.
7.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.
8.the method of formation, operation, or procedure exhibited in a given case: a community organized on the patriarchal principle.
9.a determining characteristic of something; essential quality.
10.an originating or actuating agency or force: growth is the principle of life.
11.an actuating agency in the mind or character, as an instinct, faculty, or natural tendency: the principles of human behavior.
12.Chemistry. a constituent of a substance, esp. one giving to it some distinctive quality or effect.
13.Obsolete. beginning or commencement.
—Idioms
14.in principle, in essence or substance; fundamentally: to accept a plan in principle.
15.on principle,
a.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.
b.according to a fixed rule, method, or practice: He drank hot milk every night on principle.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME, alter. of MF principe or L prīncipium, on the analogy of manciple. See principium]

—Synonyms 1, 2, 3. 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. 2. theorem, axiom, postulate, proposition. 5. integrity, probity, rectitude, honor.
—Usage note See principal.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Thesaurus Entries (1 more entry. View all »)
  Synonym Collection v1.1Cite This Source
Main Entry:  principle
Part of Speech:  adjective
Synonyms:  magnanimous, principled, righteous, sanctimonious, rectitudinous, religiose
Source:  Synonym Collection v1.1
Copyright © 2008 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC.
  Synonym Collection v1.1Cite This Source
Main Entry:  principle
Part of Speech:  noun
Synonyms:  axiom, belief, canon, code, constitution, credo, creed, declaration, dictum, doctrine, dogma, element, essence, ethics, foundation, fundament, fundamental, honor, integrity, law, motto, philosophy, postulate, precept, quintessence, rule, substratum, teaching, tenet, theorem, theory, truth, uprightness, alpha and omega, decalogue, gospel, methodology, morals, organon, principium, standards
Source:  Synonym Collection v1.1
Copyright © 2008 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC.
  Roget's II: The New ThesaurusCite This Source
Main Entry:  character
Part of Speech:  noun
Definition:  Moral or ethical strength.
Synonyms:  fiber, honesty, integrity
Source:  Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition
by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary.
Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Encyclopedia Articles (874 more entries. View all »)
Columbia Electronic EncyclopediaCite This Source


Alembert's principle: see D'Alembert's principle. 
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press




View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web








Perform a new search, or try your search for "principle" at: