orientation

noun

ori·en·ta·tion | \ ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən ,

-ˌen- \

Definition of orientation

1a : 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

2a : a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest the fundamentally human orientation of Greek art —Bruce Cole This company has a decidedly conservative orientation.

b : a person's sexual identity or self-identification as bisexual, heterosexual, homosexual, pansexual, etc. : the state of being bisexual, heterosexual, homosexual, pansexual, etc.

3 : change of position by organs, organelles, or organisms in response to external stimulus The plant's orientation is toward light.

Other Words from orientation Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about orientation

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Synonyms for orientation

Synonyms

aspect, exposure, frontage

Examples of orientation in a Sentence

patients identifying themselves as homosexual or bisexual in orientation He makes no secret of his orientation. The organization has a decidedly conservative orientation. Her later works were more introspective in orientation. These materials are used for the orientation of new employees. New students need to go through a short orientation before they begin classes.

Recent Examples on the Web

The orientation of their horns indicates consistent winds out of the east, blowing top to bottom in this image captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. — Chris Ciaccia, Fox News, "Mars 'ghost' dunes may have evidence of alien life," 13 July 2018 The orientation of these bodies suggest an association with death and sunrise, the team writes in the study, which could signify the culture that buried them had ideas of reincarnation or an afterlife. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Germany’s “Stonehenge” Reveals Evidence of Human Sacrifice," 30 June 2018 The tags were fitted with several instruments: pressure sensors to measure depth; magnetometers to record orientation with respect to Earth’s magnetic field; accelerometers to measure movement; and microphones to record chatter. — The Economist, "When faced with a killer whale should you fight or flee?," 14 June 2018 The company’s computer vision software uses standard broadcast videos of games to track players’ movements and the orientation of their bodies during play. — NBC News, "How AI is helping sports teams scout star players," 13 June 2018 Nguyen Phan Que Mai, who’d just flown in from Jakarta, woke up from a nap minutes before the orientation in the converted barn, where the floor-to-ceiling windows looked out onto hawks floating on updrafts. — Vanessa Hua, San Francisco Chronicle, "Gathering the Vietnamese diaspora," 7 June 2018 The robot can change the orientation of its arms midflight to be parallel or perpendicular to its central axis. — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, "This Aerial Robot Changes Shape Mid Flight," 3 June 2018 Puzzo said the orientation will cover bighorn natural history, California Fish and Wildlife’s recovery efforts, census methods, desert safety and site assignments. — Ernie Cowan Outdoors, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Annual call for volunteer bighorn sheep counters," 5 May 2018 Lionheart also changed the orientation of the buildings so neighbors’ beachside views were obstructed as little as possible. — Anne Geggis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "New luxury high-rise will be the tallest yet in Pompano Beach," 12 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orientation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.