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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Other Words from orientation

orientational \ ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shnəl ,

-shə-nᵊl, -ˌen- \ adjective

orientationally adverb

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

Johnny Unitas stops by the Colts’ rookie orientation at McDonogh to pick up his football shoes and ends up taking part in the drills. — Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, "The Sun Remembers: This Week in Maryland Sports History, July 8-14," 8 July 2018 An orientation workshop is available at 11:30, conducted by Frank Masi of The Masi Group. — Bill Zimmerman, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando job fair with dozens of companies set for fairgrounds," 5 July 2018 A few days after returning from that orientation at UT, Austin, her parents were called into a meeting with her high school officials. — Breanna Edwards, The Root, "High School Valedictorian Stripped of Ranking Due to an Administrative Error, but She Thinks It's Retaliation for Critical Graduation Speech," 2 July 2018 Andreas Wimmer: Nationalism comes in different forms and ideological orientations. — Nikita Lalwani, Washington Post, "When is nationalism a good thing? When it unites an ethnically diverse citizenry," 26 June 2018 Their physical and mental states are immediately assessed, and they are given orientation. — Bloomberg.com, "First Lady Wears 'I Really Don't Care' Jacket to Child Detention Center Visit," 22 June 2018 A week ago, Roseanne’s astounding ratings outshone its co-creators political orientation. — refinery29.com, "How Roseanne Barr Killed Roseanne," 30 May 2018 The Bill of Rights has lots of defenders, but political orientation tends to dictate which components get the most attention. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "What firing Mueller would mean for the GOP," 10 Apr. 2018 Even with such a direct landscape orientation, though, this minimalist rendering of a populated landscape remains closer to conceptual art than to conventional realism. — Mike Giuliano, Howard County Times, "Connecting the dots in Goldberg's variations," 13 July 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.