ALL meanings of on principle
on prin·ci·ple
O o - noun on principle an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a person of good moral principles. 1
- noun on principle a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived: the principles of modern physics. 1
- noun on principle a fundamental doctrine or tenet; a distinctive ruling opinion: the principles of the Stoics. 1
- noun on principle principles, a personal or specific basis of conduct or management: to adhere to one's principles; a kindergarten run on modern principles. 1
- noun on principle guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct: a person of principle. 1
- noun on principle an adopted rule or method for application in action: a working principle for general use. 1
- noun on principle a rule or law exemplified in natural phenomena, the construction or operation of a machine, the working of a system, or the like: the principle of capillary attraction. 1
- noun on principle the method of formation, operation, or procedure exhibited in a given case: a community organized on the patriarchal principle. 1
- noun on principle a determining characteristic of something; essential quality. 1
- noun on principle an originating or actuating agency or force: growth is the principle of life. 1
- noun on principle an actuating agency in the mind or character, as an instinct, faculty, or natural tendency: the principles of human behavior. 1
- noun on principle Chemistry. a constituent of a substance, especially one giving to it some distinctive quality or effect. 1
- noun on principle Obsolete. beginning or commencement. 1
- idioms on principle in principle, in essence or substance; fundamentally: to accept a plan in principle. 1
- idioms on principle on principle, according to personal rules for right conduct; as a matter of moral principle: He refused on principle to agree to the terms of the treaty. according to a fixed rule, method, or practice: He drank hot milk every night on principle. 1
- phrase on principle If you refuse to do something on principle, you refuse to do it because of a particular belief that you have. 0
- noun on principle because of or in demonstration of a principle 0
- noun on principle because of or according to a principle 0