principled

adjective

prin·​ci·​pled ˈprin(t)-s(ə-)pəld 

-sə-bəld

: exhibiting, based on, or characterized by principle

—often used in combination

Synonyms of principled

• honorable
• ethical
• honest
• respectable

Examples of principled in a Sentence

She took a principled stand on funding public education.

a high-principled art expert who always told clients what he honestly thought their items were worth

Recent Examples on the Web

An insistence on telling the truth, using the work as a vessel for honesty, for there can be no principled action taken on the back of falsehoods. — Via Haymarket Books, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2026

These days, with populism on the rise, where's a principled conservative supposed to look? — Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026

His books and essays, most written over nearly a half-century starting in the 1960s, give the impression of a man who was deeply principled. — Tamar Haspel, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026

In McDonnell, his supporters say, the mayor has an honest and principled leader who has managed to steady a department beset by low morale, dwindling staffing levels and aging facilities. — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for principled

• unprincipled

Kids Definition

principled

adjective

prin·​ci·​pled ˈprin(t)-s(ə-)pəld 

-sə-bəld

: based on or marked by principle

high-principled