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.

Ilyse Hogue: I go back to first principles on a lot of the projects that I work on.

From Slate • May 18, 2026

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

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

From Slate • Sep. 26, 2025

All departments have also reassessed spending from first principles, as part of a "zero-based" review.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 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