1
as in honorable
following the accepted rules of moral conduct
a high-principled art expert who always told clients what he honestly thought their items were worth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ethical
guided by or in accordance with one's sense of right and wrong
a politician widely respected for her principled behavior in every office she ever held
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of principled
In his first term, his team provided a better economy, more consistent and principled leadership and policies Americans benefited from.
—
Erick Erickson, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
You can be principled and civil.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 17 Feb. 2026
As is being seen across the country, most recently with Zohran Mamdani in New York and Analilia Mejia in New Jersey, taking a principled stand on foreign policy while remaining focused on the needs of your constituents is the true path to victory.
—Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
Berry’s Sharon has some of the best lines in the film, playing a principled woman who is trapped and suffocating from a society that rewards the capitalist boys club.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principled
Erick Erickson, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
You can be principled and civil.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 17 Feb. 2026
As is being seen across the country, most recently with Zohran Mamdani in New York and Analilia Mejia in New Jersey, taking a principled stand on foreign policy while remaining focused on the needs of your constituents is the true path to victory.
—Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
Berry’s Sharon has some of the best lines in the film, playing a principled woman who is trapped and suffocating from a society that rewards the capitalist boys club.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principled
Adjective
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Kramer and Fauci—their honorable disagreements, their curiosity about each other’s worldview, their good-faith debate—were the real show, all along.—
Talya Zax,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Resignation is the only honorable thing to do.—
Kirsten John Foy,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But scientists, including Beckmann, argue that using casualties from the road can be a more ethical alternative to trapping wild animals or euthanizing them to sample tissues.—
Emma Gometz,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
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Aurélien works with specialist ateliers across Italy and Europe combining ethical production practices with traditional savoir-faire.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
An honest basketball coach without a real playbook.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
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Clear, calm boundaries and honest talks can protect your peace while keeping family bonds strong.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In police states, controlling the flow of information and creating a veneer of moral justification are necessary conditions for brutalization, intimidation, and erasure.—
Phillip Atiba Solomon,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
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Perhaps inspired not only by Kierkegaard but also by the fiction of the postwar existentialists often understood to have been influenced by him, Hjorth has taken up the prototypical Norwegian bourgeois subject and her moral and political awakening, or failure thereof.—
Elaine Blair,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The blue collar career, once a respectable path to home ownership and a stable family income, became something to escape rather than aspire to.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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Though Disneyland Park’s littler and much younger sibling, the park has grown into a respectable offering, one that ranks among my favorite Disney parks in North America.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Virtually no risk-free approach Even a conscientious employer following the rule and regulatory and judicial interpretation of the rule may have its workplace seating policy second-guessed.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
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For 20-odd years, Adams has been one of Hollywood’s most reliably committed and conscientious performers.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Principled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principled. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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