as in star
the person who has the most important role in a play, movie, or TV show
my cousin is one of the principals in a new sitcom this fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
our principal reason for coming here today
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chief
highest in rank or authority
the principal researcher in the company's chemical division
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of principal
Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Jasmine Gilliam is the principal at my daughter’s school.
—Akilah Siti Easter, Parents, 23 Jan. 2026
Lacey Ramburger, The Spruce, 5 Jan. 2026
Virginia Halas McCaskey was the principal owner of the team until her death in February 2025 at 102.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principal
Noun
In 2015, his principal asked him to attend a training for a small robotics program no one else wanted to take on.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Jasmine Gilliam is the principal at my daughter’s school.
—Akilah Siti Easter, Parents, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Search for Vintage Pieces Rather than searching for brand-new accessories, Michelle Accetta, founder and principal designer of Michelle Accetta Home, recommends going for vintage pieces.
—Lacey Ramburger, The Spruce, 5 Jan. 2026
Virginia Halas McCaskey was the principal owner of the team until her death in February 2025 at 102.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for principal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principal
Noun
-
The entertainment industry rewards relevance, star power and personal branding.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Nearby, Sotheby’s will host its first Masters Week at the Breuer Building; its star lot will be a Rembrandt drawing of a lion estimated to sell between $15-20 million.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Sami Zayn won a Fatal 4-Way main event for the right to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
This could happen especially with more hilly routes or ones not near main roads.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This double standard exists in large part because, from a regulatory standpoint, pregnancy itself is considered a health risk, according to Logan Nickels, chief research officer at the Male Contraceptive Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing nonhormonal male birth control.—
Ana Castelain,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Bovino joined the Border Patrol in 1996 and was named chief patrol agent of the El Centro Sector of Southern California in 2020, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For many people who stream music every day, how artists and rightsholders are paid is not a primary concern.—
Shain Shapiro,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Live and Let Die also notably broke the color barrier, with Bond’s relationship with a Black woman, Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), being among the foremost mainstream films to feature an interracial romance.—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Even now the Schrödinger equation remains physicists’ foremost window into the quantum realm.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Year after year Samsung had an increasingly greater, ever-more commanding presence at CES.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Uganda’s longtime President Yoweri Museveni took a commanding lead in early election results as reports of deadly violence emerged following Thursday’s vote.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
By the next day, anger and fear felt like the predominant emotional states.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Centuries ago, exhalations of humans and animals, in addition to that derived from natural processes such as decay and forest fires, may have been predominant.—
Beronda L. Montgomery,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Combine that with his supreme skill and shot making, and the Spurs’ only solution was to hit enough shots of their old to hold on.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Ebrahim Raisi, the president killed in a 2024 helicopter crash, was widely viewed as a protégé of and potential successor to the supreme leader.—
Peter Nicholas,
NBC news,
18 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Principal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principal. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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