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
The story has a tragic air, because West comes across in Adult Braces and her other writings as likable, principled, and decent.
—
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2026
They are principled, cheerful, resilient leaders.
—Peter Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 14 Mar. 2026
Prosecutor Melinkovich has shown what principled enforcement of animal cruelty law can look like.
—Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
And more recently, Anthropic staked out principled positions on not incorporating advertising into its Claude products and not developing chatbots specifically designed to be romantic or erotic companions.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principled
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2026
They are principled, cheerful, resilient leaders.
—Peter Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 14 Mar. 2026
Prosecutor Melinkovich has shown what principled enforcement of animal cruelty law can look like.
—Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
And more recently, Anthropic staked out principled positions on not incorporating advertising into its Claude products and not developing chatbots specifically designed to be romantic or erotic companions.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principled
Adjective
-
The people in Japan are so honorable.—
Matt Bomer,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Third team Gonzaga senior Graham Ike, an honorable-mention pick two years ago, earned third-team honors this season.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The NYT‘s profile either downplayed or omitted all of these glaring ethical red flags.—
Maggie Harrison Dupré,
Futurism,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect.—
Collin Binkley,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Iran practices honest bludgeon work.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Use honest words, and let confidence take root.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The moral responsibility fell too heavy, the desire to avoid ambivalence amid injustice burned too brightly.—
Megan Molteni,
STAT,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the twisted moral universe of The Drama, and maybe in our own, the cruelest kids are the ones with the clearest consciences.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My credit is almost back to something respectable but my bank account sure isn’t.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Because the Warriors – without Jimmy Butler or Steph Curry for large swaths of the year – and Blazers were the only teams on the fringe trying to play respectable hoops, that put the teams in a strange position that Green could only scoff at.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Altman, by contrast, came across as refreshingly conscientious.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But the uncertainty surrounding the club (head coach Gareth Taylor wasn’t hired until three weeks before the season started, while the club had lost Smith and club captain Taylor Hinds to Arsenal) was anathema to someone so conscientious.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Principled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principled. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
