Principle vs. Principal — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on October 27, 2023
Principle refers to a fundamental truth or belief, while Principal denotes the foremost person or thing in a group or a sum of money.
Difference Between Principle and Principal
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Principle pertains to a fundamental truth, rule, or belief that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior. In contrast, Principal can refer to a person who has the highest authority, such as in a school or financial institution.
While Principle guides actions or provides bases, Principal signifies leadership or the primary element of something. Principle might dictate one's moral compass or a scientific law, whereas Principal could be the main performer in a concert or the initial amount of a loan.
Simply put, Principle is abstract, representing concepts, while Principal is tangible or positional, indicating preeminence or initial sums of money.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Fundamental truth or rule
Foremost person/thing or initial sum of money
Context
Moral, ethical, or foundational
Leadership, precedence, or finance
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Grammatical Role
Typically a noun
Can be both a noun and an adjective
Examples
Scientific principles, moral principles
School principal, principal amount
Word Origin
Latin "principium" meaning "a beginning"
Latin "principalis" meaning "first or chief"
Compare with Definitions
Principle
A fundamental truth or law.
The Principle of gravity explains why objects fall to the ground.
Principal
A person who has controlling authority.
The school Principal addressed the students during the assembly.
Principle
A moral or ethical standard.
Honesty is a key Principle in her life.
Principal
Primary or of greatest importance.
The Principal reason for his visit was to seek advice.
Principle
A guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct.
He stood up for his Principles despite facing criticism.
Principal
An original sum of money invested or lent.
The Principal of the loan is $20,000 without interest.
Principle
An accepted or professed rule of action or conduct.
The company operates on the Principle of fairness.
Principal
First in order of importance; main
The country's principal cities
Principle
A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a rule that has to be or usually is to be followed.
Principal
Denoting an original sum invested or lent
The principal amount of your investment
Principle
A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour or for a chain of reasoning
The basic principles of justice
Principal
The most important or senior person in an organization or group
A design consultancy whose principal is based in San Francisco
Principle
A general scientific theorem or law that has numerous special applications across a wide field.
Principal
A sum of money lent or invested, on which interest is paid
The winners are paid from the interest without even touching the principal
Principle
A fundamental source or basis of something
The first principle of all things was water
Principal
A person for whom another acts as an agent or representative
Stockbrokers in Tokyo act as agents rather than as principals
Principle
A basic truth, law, or assumption
The principles of democracy.
Principal
The person directly responsible for a crime.
Principle
A rule or standard, especially of good behavior
A man of principle.
Principal
A main rafter supporting purlins.
Principle
The collectivity of moral or ethical standards or judgments
A decision based on principle rather than expediency.
Principal
An organ stop sounding a main register of open flue pipes typically an octave above the diapason
All the principals are on one manual
Principle
A fixed or predetermined policy or mode of action.
Principal
First or highest in rank or importance.
Principle
A basic or essential quality or element determining intrinsic nature or characteristic behavior
The principle of self-preservation.
Principal
Of, relating to, or being financial principal, or a principal in a financial transaction.
Principle
A rule or law concerning the functioning of natural phenomena or mechanical processes
The principle of jet propulsion.
Principal
One who holds a position of presiding rank, especially the head of an elementary school, middle school, or high school.
Principle
(Chemistry) One of the elements that compose a substance, especially one that gives some special quality or effect.
Principal
A main participant in a situation, especially a financial transaction.
Principle
A basic source. See Usage Note at principal.
Principal
A person having a leading or starring role in a performance, such as the first player in a section of an orchestra.
Principle
A fundamental assumption or guiding belief.
We need some sort of principles to reason from.
Principal
An amount of capital originally borrowed or invested, as opposed to the interest paid or accruing on it.
Principle
A rule used to choose among solutions to a problem.
The principle of least privilege holds that a process should only receive the permissions it needs.
Principal
The most significant part of an estate, as opposed to minor or incidental components.
Principle
Moral rule or aspect.
I don't doubt your principles.
You are clearly a person of principle.
It's the principle of the thing; I won't do business with someone I can't trust.
Principal
The person on behalf of whom an agent acts.
Principle
(physics) A rule or law of nature, or the basic idea on how the laws of nature are applied.
Bernoulli's Principle
The Pauli Exclusion Principle prevents two fermions from occupying the same state.
The principle of the internal combustion engine
Principal
The person having prime responsibility for an obligation as distinguished from one who acts as surety or as an endorser.
Principle
A fundamental essence, particularly one producing a given quality.
Many believe that life is the result of some vital principle.
Principal
The main actor in the perpetration of a crime.
Principle
A source, or origin; that from which anything proceeds; fundamental substance or energy; primordial substance; ultimate element, or cause.
Principal
(Architecture) Either of a pair of inclined timbers forming the sides of a triangular truss for a pitched roof.
Principle
An original faculty or endowment.
Principal
Primary; most important; first level in importance.
Smith is the principal architect of this design.
The principal cause of the failure was poor planning.
Principle
(obsolete) A beginning.
Principal
Of or relating to a prince; princely.
Principle
(transitive) To equip with principles; to establish, or fix, in certain principles; to impress with any tenet or rule of conduct.
Principal
(mathematics) Chosen or assumed among a branch of possible values of a multi-valued function so that the function is single-valued.
Two is the principal square root of 4. Both −2 and +2 are square roots of 4.
Principle
Beginning; commencement.
Doubting sad end of principle unsound.
Principal
The money originally invested or loaned, on which basis interest and returns are calculated.
A portion of your mortgage payment goes to reduce the principal, and the rest covers interest.
Principle
A source, or origin; that from which anything proceeds; fundamental substance or energy; primordial substance; ultimate element, or cause.
The soul of man is an active principle.
Principal
The chief administrator of a school.
Principle
An original faculty or endowment.
Nature in your principles hath set [benignity].
Those active principles whose direct and ultimate object is the communication either of enjoyment or suffering.
Principal
The chief executive and chief academic officer of a university or college.
Principle
A fundamental truth; a comprehensive law or doctrine, from which others are derived, or on which others are founded; a general truth; an elementary proposition; a maxim; an axiom; a postulate.
Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection.
A good principle, not rightly understood, may prove as hurtful as a bad.
Principal
(legal) A legal person that authorizes another (the agent) to act on their behalf; or on whose behalf an agent or gestor in a negotiorum gestio acts.
When an attorney represents a client, the client is the principal who permits the attorney, the client′s agent, to act on the client′s behalf.
My principal sells metal shims.
Principle
A settled rule of action; a governing law of conduct; an opinion or belief which exercises a directing influence on the life and behavior; a rule (usually, a right rule) of conduct consistently directing one's actions; as, a person of no principle.
All kinds of dishonesty destroy our pretenses to an honest principle of mind.
Principal
(legal) The primary participant in a crime.
Principle
Any original inherent constituent which characterizes a substance, or gives it its essential properties, and which can usually be separated by analysis; - applied especially to drugs, plant extracts, etc.
Cathartine is the bitter, purgative principle of senna.
Principal
(North America) A partner or owner of a business.
Principle
To equip with principles; to establish, or fix, in certain principles; to impress with any tenet, or rule of conduct, good or ill.
Governors should be well principled.
Let an enthusiast be principled that he or his teacher is inspired.
Principal
(music) A diapason, a type of organ stop on a pipe organ.
Principle
A basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct;
Their principles of composition characterized all their works
Principal
The construction that gives shape and strength to a roof, generally a truss of timber or iron; or, loosely, the most important member of a piece of framing.
Principle
A rule or standard especially of good behavior;
A man of principle
He will not violate his principles
Principal
The first two long feathers of a hawk's wing.
Principle
A basic truth or law or assumption;
The principles of democracy
Principal
One of the turrets or pinnacles of waxwork and tapers with which the posts and centre of a funeral hearse were formerly crowned
Principle
A rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system;
The principle of the conservation of mass
The principle of jet propulsion
The right-hand rule for inductive fields
Principal
(obsolete) An essential point or rule; a principle.
Principle
Rule of personal conduct
Principal
A dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company.
Principle
(law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature);
The rationale for capital punishment
The principles of internal-combustion engines
Principal
(computing) A security principal.
Principle
A basic source or origin.
The Principles of democracy uphold individual rights.
Principal
Highest in rank, authority, character, importance, or degree; most considerable or important; chief; main; as, the principal officers of a Government; the principal men of a state; the principal productions of a country; the principal arguments in a case.
Wisdom is the principal thing.
Principal
Of or pertaining to a prince; princely.
Principal
A leader, chief, or head; one who takes the lead; one who acts independently, or who has controlling authority or influence; as, the principal of a faction, a school, a firm, etc.; - distinguished from a subordinate, abettor, auxiliary, or assistant.
Principal
The chief actor in a crime, or an abettor who is present at it, - as distinguished from an accessory.
Principal
A thing of chief or prime importance; something fundamental or especially conspicuous.
Principal
The original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
Principal
The educator who has executive authority for a school;
She sent unruly pupils to see the principal
Principal
An actor who plays a principal role
Principal
Capital as contrasted with the income derived from it
Principal
The major party to a financial transaction at a stock exchange; buys and sells for his own account
Principal
Most important element;
The chief aim of living
The main doors were of solid glass
The principal rivers of America
The principal example
Policemen were primary targets
Principal
A leading performer in a show.
The Principal dancer stole the spotlight during the performance.
Principal
Chief; most important.
He played a Principal role in the project's success.
Common Curiosities
Can Principle be used to describe a person's rank?
No, Principle refers to foundational truths, not rank or status.
Is Principal used in financial contexts?
Yes, Principal can refer to an original sum of money invested or lent.
Does Principle have ethical implications?
Yes, Principle can refer to a moral or ethical standard.
What does Principle commonly refer to?
Principle often refers to a fundamental truth, rule, or belief.
Can a Principle be proven false?
In science, if new evidence contradicts a Principle, it might be reevaluated or disproven.
Can one have multiple Principles?
Yes, one can hold multiple Principles or fundamental beliefs.
Are the words Principle and Principal interchangeable?
No, they have distinct meanings and cannot be used interchangeably.
What might a Principal actor refer to?
A Principal actor denotes a lead or main performer in a show or film.
What's the role of a school Principal?
A school Principal is the head or chief administrator of a school.
Can Principal serve as an adjective?
Yes, Principal can describe something as primary or of greatest importance.
Is the concept of Principle only related to ethics?
No, Principle can also refer to scientific truths or foundational concepts in various fields.
How does a Principal differ from a teacher?
A Principal oversees the administration and functioning of a school, while a teacher focuses on educating students in specific subjects.
Is the Principal always a position of leadership?
Generally, yes. Principal denotes foremost importance or position, often in leadership contexts.
Does a loan's Principal include interest?
No, the Principal is the original sum without added interest.
What's the opposite of a Principle?
While Principle doesn't have a direct antonym, "exception" or "deviation" might be used in some contexts.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
