3 uses
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Definition
a basic rule or belief
The exact meaning of principle can depend upon its context. For example:
- "our guiding principles" — basic moral beliefs that guide decisions and behavior
- "electromagnetic principles" — rules describing how the world works
- "She lacks principles." — lacks moral guidelines
- "We agree in principle." — about important basic beliefs
- She is quite unprincipled; her philosophy is carpe diem for herself and laissez faire for others.2.1 — The Debutante (14% in)
- He expressed his lack of principle by sweeping a seltzer bottle with a broad gesture to noisy extinction on the floor, but this did not interrupt his speech.2.2 — Experiments in Convalescence (6% in)
- Progress was a labyrinth.... people plunging blindly in and then rushing wildly back, shouting that they had found it.... the invisible king—the elan vital—the principle of evolution.... writing a book, starting a war, founding a school....2.5 — The Egotist Becomes a Personage (39% in)
There are no more uses of "principle" in This Side of Paradise.
Typical Usage
(best examples)