Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

in principle

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.34 in modern English

Syllables: in- prin-ci-ple
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

With regard to the fundamentals, but not to the particulars.

prep_phrase

According to theory.

Example Sentences

"agree in principle"
"approve in principle"
"support in principle"
"In principle, I agree with your proposal, but we need more details."
"The plan is acceptable in principle."
""If Russia mobilises, it is for defence. No nation in the world would dream of attacking Germany, nor has Germany the slightest intention of imperilling her coming supremacy amongst the nations by such crude methods as military enterprise. Servia must be punished, naturally, but to that, in principle, every nation in Europe is agreed. We shall not permit Austria to overstep the mark.""

Etymology

From in + principle (the noun ultimately from Latin principium). Compare French en principe, German im Prinzip, Dutch in principe, Swedish i princip, Danish i princippet.

Phrases

on principle

Frequently Paired Words

on principle

Synonyms

in theory in essence

Questions

What does in principle mean?: With regard to the fundamentals, but not to the particulars.
Where does in principle come from?: From in + principle (the noun ultimately from Latin principium). Compare French en principe, German im Prinzip, Dutch in principe, Swedish i princip, Danish i princippet.

How to pronounce in principle

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