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
Pursuing the claim was a necessary and principled step to protect that right, as well as my career and livelihood.
—
Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
Likewise, the pipelines became totemic of the dependence on cheap Russian hydrocarbons that critics felt Europe traded for a principled stance on Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine in 2014 and Georgia in 2008.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
Admirers see a principled independence; detractors see a political evolution that mirrors Washington's shifting winds.
—Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 15 Nov. 2025
Even the most principled of artists are being approached left and right and are starting to understand that the big-money offers just can’t be refused.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for principled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principled
Adjective
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Clarke, a junior, also was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection after totaling 30 tackles, eight passes defended and a fumble recovery in eight games.—
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Other than honorable discharges carry serious, long-term consequences, including the inability to access veteran benefits and disqualifications on becoming a police officer.—
Adjective
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Find a tax preparer, but first review the agency's tips to find an ethical one.—
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However, ethical leadership requires a clear boundary between policy disagreement and the normalization — or tacit justification — of violence.—
Adjective
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Yet, to be honest, our dance card is already mighty full with a whole array of different kinds of gigs – from big pop shows to classic rock concerts and a number of different small club shows.—
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Shared finances, emotional investments or trust issues become crystal clear, prompting honest conversations and practical decision-making.—
Adjective
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The radical shifts in France — regicide, the Committee of Public Safety’s terror, and expansionist campaigns — dissolved the moral and practical basis for the alliance.—
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Without genuine emotional experience or moral agency, AI cannot provide the accountability that comes from being seen by another person.—
Adjective
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But after a transfer of ownership and a revamp of the voting body, the Golden Globes TV awards have gotten positively respectable.—
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Rookie Andres Borregales made 27 of 32 attempts, a respectable mark.—
Adjective
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Bindi’s only six years older, but is very conscientious and a real caregiver.—
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There are unanswered overtures from the choir’s pianist Horner (Robert Emms), a soft, vulnerable young man whose conscientious-objector status renders him a fellow outsider.—
Cite this Entry
“Principled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principled. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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