orientation

noun

ori·​en·​ta·​tion ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce orientation (audio)
-ˌen-
plural orientations
1
a
: the act or process of orienting or of being oriented
These materials are for the orientation of new employees.
b
: the state of being oriented
the orientation of the main altar of the church
broadly : arrangement, alignment
the orientation of molecules
2
a
: a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest
the fundamentally human orientation of Greek artBruce Cole
This company has a decidedly conservative orientation.
b
: a person's sexual identity or self-identification as bisexual, straight, gay, lesbian, pansexual, etc. : the state of being bisexual, straight, gay, lesbian, pansexual, etc. : sexual orientation
3
: change of position by organs, organelles, or organisms in response to external stimulus
The plant's orientation is toward light.
orientational adjective
orientationally adverb

Examples of orientation in a Sentence

These materials are used for the orientation of new employees. They identified as bisexual in orientation. The organization has a decidedly conservative orientation. Her later works were more introspective in orientation. New students need to go through a short orientation before they begin classes.
Recent Examples on the Web All of the graves were facing southwest to northeast, following the orientation of a nearby church. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 As for my personal opinion, all citizens should be treated equally, with equal protection under our laws, regardless of orientation. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024 If all goes well, the cameras will show Odysseus resting on its side, giving engineers - and the public - the best views available of the spacecraft's orientation. William Harwood, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2024 These factors could influence the orientation of the Earth relative to the Moon’s shadow and upset McGlaun’s calculations—only by a matter of milliseconds, but that’s a lot for a mathematician. Elissaveta M. Brandon, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2024 Gensler designed the stadium’s orientation so that home plate is at the southwest corner of the site, yielding optimal view corridors out into the city. Phil Rogers, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 That would misread Turkey’s true geopolitical orientation. Soner Cagaptay, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024 Compared to other industry segments the city is cultivating, such as wealth management, crypto has an undeniably global orientation. Zennon Kapron, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 When the boat loses orientation and goes off course, things turn violent as the migrants blame the smugglers. Ed Meza, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'orientation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of orientation was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near orientation

Cite this Entry

“Orientation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orientation. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

orientation

noun
ori·​en·​ta·​tion ˌōr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce orientation (audio)
ˌȯr-ē-ˌen-
1
a
: the act or process of orienting or of being oriented
b
: the state of being oriented
2
a
: a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest
b
: a person's sexual identity or self-identification
bisexual in orientation
3
: change of position by a cell or organism or by one of their parts in response to outside stimulus

Medical Definition

orientation

noun
ori·​en·​ta·​tion ˌōr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən, ˌȯr-, -ˌen- How to pronounce orientation (audio)
1
a
: the act or process of orienting or of being oriented
b
: the state of being oriented
2
: a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest see sexual orientation
3
: change of position by organs, organelles, or organisms in response to external stimulus
4
: awareness of the existing situation with reference to time, place, and identity of persons
psychological orientation
orientational adjective
orientationally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on orientation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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