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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of principled
In theaters Friday after a strong reception at SXSW last month, the genre-scrambling, darkly comic neo-western casts him as Ulysses, a principled small-town sheriff who takes a temporary posting in a sleepy corner of Minnesota called Normal.
—
Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Her work must be consistent and principled, fair and independent.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
After Musk’s departure, Amodei and other researchers chafed against the leadership of Brockman, whom some considered an abrasive operator, and of Sutskever, who was generally viewed as principled but disorganized.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
There is a difference between principled disagreement and deliberate avoidance.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principled
Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Her work must be consistent and principled, fair and independent.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
After Musk’s departure, Amodei and other researchers chafed against the leadership of Brockman, whom some considered an abrasive operator, and of Sutskever, who was generally viewed as principled but disorganized.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
There is a difference between principled disagreement and deliberate avoidance.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principled
Adjective
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Motherhood is a beautiful and honorable calling.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
-
Mfume has served Maryland for many years in a distinguished and honorable way.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Engineers mustn’t forget their responsibility in creating responsible and ethical AI.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
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Skills such as judgment, creativity, communication, and ethical reasoning will become even more important as information is easier to generate.—
Bruce Broussard,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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With the Moon now moving through your 7th House of Partnership, conversations become more direct, honest, and revealing in a useful way.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
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The Moon in Scorpio forms a smooth trine to Jupiter in your 7th House of Partnership, opening the door to more honest and supportive connection.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
The book resists tidy moral conclusions.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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Very little offends me in a moral sense in the theater, but parts of this script came close.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Hawks shot 10-of-41 in Game 4, a respectable 13-of-33 in Game 3, 9-of-30 in Game 2 and 14-of-37 from deep in Game 1.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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His seven goals and 21 points this season were respectable for a now-21-year-old rookie, but Sandin-Pellikka’s value is predicated on his ability to move (and shoot) the puck.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Dogs are allowed off-leash with conscientious owners.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Sam has encouraged the boy to be more conscientious with his studies and has been learning alongside him for years, picking up his schoolbooks and offering ideas on how to make the assignments more meaningful.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Principled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principled. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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