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.

The proponents of this new set of first principles, most prominently among them the 28th president, Woodrow Wilson, called it progressivism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

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

She argued that the Conservatives needed to take the time to go back to first principles and work out what the government should and should not do.

From BBC • May 28, 2025

For us to truly understand something, we have to be able to re-create the effect from first principles, if the principles at work are indeed what create the effect.

From Slate • Feb. 26, 2025

Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way—even by death—and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker