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
He will give a speech later about his first principles - his values and his patriotism.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
Jefferson articulated America’s first principles, but without Washington’s leadership, those principles wouldn’t have survived.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
Rationalists—like lawyers relying on “common sense” reasoning—believe we can deduce truth from first principles.
From Slate • Sep. 26, 2025
Our first principles told us that Pauling could not be the greatest of all chemists without realizing that DNA was the most golden of all molecules.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
