orientation

noun

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ori·en·ta·tion | \ ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən

, -ˌen- \

plural orientations

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, 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.

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Synonyms for orientation

Synonyms

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 That additional team includes 35 health care workers from Massachusetts who began their orientation Friday morning, and will stay for at least two weeks. — Annie Berman, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Oct. 2021 Wendell and Eskew met in 2010 at their college orientation at Olivet Nazarene University, a private Christian school in Illinois. — Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2021 My orientation to critiquing contemporary society has changed. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2021 An estimated 9 percent reported being denied a job or laid off in the past 12 months because of their orientation or identity. — Dan Avery, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2021 As senior campus leaders move up the ladder, do Presidents (and others) oversee their orientation to NCAA policies and procedures? — Karen Weaver, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 The liquid crystals change their orientation—and their color—based on temperature. — Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Aug. 2021 Space engineers will analyze whether a glitch that caused the International Space Station to spin out of its normal orientation could have impacted any of it... — Jeannie Roberts, Arkansas Online, 10 Aug. 2021 Space engineers will analyze whether a glitch that caused the International Space Station to spin out of its normal orientation could have impacted any of its systems, a Russian space official said Wednesday. — Vladimir Isachenkov, orlandosentinel.com, 6 Aug. 2021

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.

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