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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of principled
In prosecutors’ telling, Ryan, fueled by his anger, intentionally killed his father-in-law, who was remembered by several friends as a principled and loving family man.
—
Mark Morales, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Underneath the dry wit is a deep longing to believe in something principled.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Not everyone can afford to take a principled stand.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 May 2026
This suggests some latent, principled discomfort among GOP voters.
—Daniel A. Smith, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principled
Mark Morales, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Underneath the dry wit is a deep longing to believe in something principled.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Not everyone can afford to take a principled stand.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 May 2026
This suggests some latent, principled discomfort among GOP voters.
—Daniel A. Smith, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principled
Adjective
-
Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties each had one beach with honorable status — Bluff Cove in Palos Verdes was the LA-area beach with consistently good-quality water.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
20 May 2026
-
There is something defiant and honorable about owning 100% of my business, given my cultural background.—
Monique Kelley,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The biggest challenge will be to rebuild the office by recruiting the highest quality staff and attorneys, and establishing an ethical culture of serving the needs of the state rather than an ideological agenda.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
-
That’s why Cavadini and others are looking forward to the imminent release of Pope Leo XIV’s first major encyclical, expected to address the growing ethical and moral challenges of artificial intelligence.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Connection improves when curiosity gives both people more room to be honest without forcing agreement today.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
One honest budget check can keep the idea useful instead of impulsive.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
The takeaway, then, isn’t that students are duplicitous and depraved or that technology has eroded their moral core.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
-
The intricacies of that Pirandellian parlor game — the fun of figuring out what portion of this film’s moral and narrative faults belong to each of its three writer/directors — is only so much fun because of how deliberately Almodóvar is willing to assume some of the blame for himself.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
And while the coach house has a respectable two-car garage, the main residence has a massive garage beneath the first floor that can easily fit 10 vehicles.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
20 May 2026
-
Both offshoots had respectable runs on ABC, six (Private Practice) and seven (Station 19) seasons.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Or a group of high-minded, dutiful, quite-conscientious California voters?—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
So naturally, the thought of turning Hypergnosis into an ethical company doesn’t compute, even to a seemingly conscientious person like Harper, who likens Anushka’s vision to buying a jet and asking where the brakes are.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Principled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principled. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
