orientation

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

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Examples: orientation in a Sentence

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 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.

—

orientational

play \ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl, -ˌen-\ adjective

—

orientationally

adverb

See orientation defined for English-language learners

See orientation defined for kids

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 of orientation from the Web

Job Seekers Toolkit Meets 1st Wednesday: Pompano Beach CRA Job Placement Center holds orientation and shares information about local jobs and resources.

— mary lou cruz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deerfield Beach area events July 18-28," 13 July 2018
For us, democracy is not a component of regional interests or foreign-policy orientation but a reflection of values and convictions.

— vivienne walt, Time, "Meet 4 Crusaders Who Are Keeping the Dream of Democracy Alive," 12 July 2018
Also, ACE Academy new student and parent orientations are July 11, 17, 19, 24 and 30.

— david ibata, ajc, "Cherokee sets start-of-school open houses," 10 July 2018
The Florida Scrub-Jay Trail in Lake County hosts a free orientation Saturday morning — and every first Saturday of the month — from 8 to 11.

— kate santich, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Free orientation to Lake County's Scrub-Jay Trail Saturday," 6 July 2018
Good Versatile design with included vertical-orientation base.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: Picking the right Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C dock for your desk," 3 July 2018
That orientation got cut short when the fire marshal declared Brown unsafe because of active construction.

— daniel duane, WIRED, "How the Startup Mentality Failed Kids in San Francisco," 28 June 2018
The fall 2018 orientation/registration begins at the end of August at East Hartford High School.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The East Hartford Edition," 26 June 2018
Led by 50-year-old Anil Hankare, who sometimes also stages solo shows, the group fills dance auditoriums like Damodar Hall in Mumbai’s Parel neighborhood with audiences of all ages, genders, and orientations.

— jeff roy, Condé Nast Traveler, "A Guide to Mumbai's Diverse LGBTQ+ Arts Scene," 13 June 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.

First Known Use of orientation

1839

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

orientation Synonyms

Synonyms

aspect, exposure, frontage;

ORIENTATION Defined for English Language Learners

orientation

noun

: a person's feelings, interests, and beliefs
: a main interest, quality, or goal
: the process of giving people training and information about a new job, situation, etc.