Word Explorer

Principal

/ˈpɹɪnsəpəl/

The money originally invested or loaned, on which basis interest and returns are calculated.

Full Dictionary Entry

📖 Definitions of "Principal"

noun

1
The money originally invested or loaned, on which basis interest and returns are calculated.
"A portion of your mortgage payment goes to reduce the principal, and the rest covers interest."
2
The chief administrator of a school.
3
The chief executive and chief academic officer of a university or college.
4
A legal person that authorizes another (the agent) to act on their behalf; or on whose behalf an agent or gestor in a negotiorum gestio acts.
"My principal sells metal shims."

adjective

1
Primary; most important; first level in importance.
"Smith is the principal architect of this design."
2
(Latinism) Of or relating to a prince; princely.

🔄 Synonyms of "Principal"

11 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
leadverb	(uncountable) A heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished; both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic number 82, symbol Pb (from Latin plumbum).
headnoun	(countable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
primarynoun	First or earliest in a group or series.
mainnoun	Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
starnoun	Any small, natural and bright dot in the sky, most visible in the night or twilight sky. This sense includes the planets, but it is now sometimes used in exclusion of them due to influence from the technical astronomical sense.
dealernoun	One who deals in goods, especially automobiles; a middleman.
head teachernoun	Alternative form of headteacher. [(UK, Ireland) The most senior teacher in a school who is responsible for its management and administration.]
chiefnoun	The leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group.
corpusnoun	A collection of written or spoken texts.
principal sumnoun	capital as contrasted with the income derived from it
school principalnoun	the educator who has executive authority for a school

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Principal"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
primarynoun	First or earliest in a group or series.
mainnoun	Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.
important	Having relevant and crucial value; having import.
chiefnoun	The leader or head of a tribe, organisation, business unit, or other group.
corpusnoun	A collection of written or spoken texts.
head teachernoun	Alternative form of headteacher. [(UK, Ireland) The most senior teacher in a school who is responsible for its management and administration.]
dealernoun	One who deals in goods, especially automobiles; a middleman.
headnoun	(countable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
starnoun	Any small, natural and bright dot in the sky, most visible in the night or twilight sky. This sense includes the planets, but it is now sometimes used in exclusion of them due to influence from the technical astronomical sense.
leadverb	(uncountable) A heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished; both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic number 82, symbol Pb (from Latin plumbum).
of import	of great significance or value
principal sumnoun	capital as contrasted with the income derived from it
school principalnoun	the educator who has executive authority for a school
primarily	(focus) Of a primary or central nature, first and foremost.
primenoun	First in importance, degree, or rank.
firstnoun	Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest.
prioritynoun	An item's relative importance.
originalnoun	(not comparable) Newly created.
cardinalnoun	Describing a “natural” number used to indicate quantity (e.g., zero, one, two, three), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position.
predominantnoun	Common or widespread; prevalent.