noun
1 basic general rule
ADJECTIVE
▪ basic , broad , central , fundamental , general , underlying
▪
the basic ~s of car maintenance
▪ bedrock ( esp. AmE ), cardinal , core , essential , key
▪ universal
▪ organizing
▪
His novels reject chronology as an organizing ~.
▪ abstract , theoretical
▪
She is interested in actual human relationships rather than abstract ~s.
▪ constitutional , democratic , legal , market , political
▪ mathematical , physical , scientific
VERB + PRINCIPLE
▪ violate
▪
This violates every ~ of good writing.
▪ embody , embrace , illustrate , incorporate
▪
The house incorporates many ~s of modern environmentally aware design.
▪ discover , establish , formulate , lay down
▪ apply , invoke
▪ articulate , explain , outline
PRINCIPLE + VERB
▪ apply
▪
This ~ applies to all kinds of selling.
▪ underlie sth , underpin sth
▪
the ~s underlying Western philosophy
PREPOSITION
▪ in ~
▪
I agree with you in ~, but we'll need to discuss the details.
▪ ~ behind
▪
She went on to explain the ~s behind what she was doing.
PHRASES
▪ the pleasure ~ , the precautionary ~ , the uncertainty ~
▪
Does everything we do come down to the pleasure ~?
2 moral rule
ADJECTIVE
▪ high
▪ founding , guiding
▪
Freedom is the founding ~ of our Republic.
▪ Biblical , religious
▪ Christian , Islamic , etc.
▪ ethical , moral
▪
He was a man of high moral ~s.
VERB + PRINCIPLE
▪ abandon , betray , compromise
▪
I refuse to compromise my ~s by eating meat.
▪ adhere to , stick to , uphold
▪
She sticks to the ~ that everyone should be treated equally.
▪ be enshrined in sth
▪
The ~ of equality is enshrined in our Constitution.
PREPOSITION
▪ against your ~s
▪
Eating meat was against her ~s.
▪ on ~
▪
She's opposed to abortion on ~.
PHRASES
▪ a matter of ~
▪
They reject the proposal as a matter of ~.
▪ a man/woman of ~ (= person with high moral standards)