first principles

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There are first principles on what makes a career: It’s something you enjoy, that you’re good at and that’s useful to someone else.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

He will give a speech later about his first principles - his values and his patriotism.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

Rationalists—like lawyers relying on “common sense” reasoning—believe we can deduce truth from first principles.

From Slate • Sep. 26, 2025

But sometimes the most important work is simply clearing the debris, removing the judicial inventions that cloud the text, and returning to first principles.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2025

Aristotelian philosophy had been based on the idea that one ought to be able to deduce sciences from generally accepted first principles, so that all science would be comparable to geometry.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton