Main
Main adjective - Coming before all others in importance.
Usage example: this is the main point of the study—everything else is secondary
Principal is a synonym for main in characteristic topic. In some cases you can use "Principal" instead the word "Main" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like position, original, top, important. popular alternative
Principal
Principal adjective - Coming before all others in importance.
Usage example: our principal reason for coming here today
Main is a synonym for principal in characteristic topic. You can use "Main" instead the word "Principal" as an adjective or a noun, if it concerns topics such as position, original, top, important. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| female | female main | female principal |
| current | current main | current principal |
| responsible | responsible main | responsible principal |
Both words in one sentence
- As everyone leaves, Spongebob bids farewell to all of the principal/main support characters before bidding farewell to "the rest." A ton of nameless background characters then rush out of the house.
Source: And the Rest - Chapman from Animorphs is a junior high school vice principal and an important member of the Sharing, one of the Yeerks' main fronts for "recruiting" young people.
Source: Middle Management Mook - Fame: The TV Series had an episode entitled "The Crimson Blade" where the main character of a swashbuckling play inspires the students to fight back against an oppressive substitute principal.
Source: The Greatest Story Never Told
Cite this Source
Principal and Main. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/main/principal
Main & Principal. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/main/principal>.
Principal or Main. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/main/principal.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "main" and "principal" have occurred on timeline