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. : sexual orientation

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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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

These two divisions—gender and education—have radically changed the political orientation of white voters. — Aaron Zitner, WSJ, "The Yawning Divide That Explains American Politics," 30 Oct. 2018 At the conclusion of the orientation, students will participate in a graduation ceremony and be sworn-in as official youth commissioners. — Karen Huppertz, ajc, "Gwinnett accepting applications for second youth commission classes," 3 Apr. 2018 The first is the orientation of a measuring apparatus—vertical/horizontal or diagonal/anti-diagonal. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Conservation of energy used to parallelize quantum key distribution," 17 Dec. 2018 The software seemed extremely sluggish, apps continuously opened accidentally, and the orientation kept changing randomly when one of the Royole representatives was demonstrating the folding process. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "We tried the world’s first folding phone, and it actually works," 6 Nov. 2018 Even so, it cannot be denied that the result of our student-as-client orientation is a culture in which educators are routinely blamed for causes of student failure that are mostly (and sometimes entirely) beyond their control. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "No, the customer is not always right, especially in school," 18 May 2018 However, Trump’s reflexive support of certain regional powers and animosity for others is occurring in a regional context that is undergoing rapid evolution with respect to the orientations and actions of regional powers. — Sina Toossi, Newsweek, "Trump's Foreign Policy Has Left The Middle East Wide Open To Russia And China—And They're Moving In," 19 Mar. 2018 Landscape plantings complement the orientation of the homes. — James Alexander, courant.com, "Property of the Week: Flanders Woods, Coventry," 27 Apr. 2017 The basic and fundamental human right of all people—including members of society who have been marginalized—whether for reasons of race, gender, ethnicity, or orientation—to be able to participate in the choices for their future and their community. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Just Gave a Powerful Speech About Feminism in New Zealand," 28 Oct. 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.