orientation

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

Updated on: 23 May 2018

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

To see back into the dark age before the first stars, astronomers look for a signal emitted when electrons in the primordial neutral hydrogen gas spontaneously flipped their orientation.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "China’s moon mission will probe cosmic dark ages," 16 May 2018
For Tuesday, practice began at 11 a.m. ET but will break from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for rookie orientation and the veteran refresher program for those who did not complete it earlier this month.

— michelle r. martinelli, For The Win, "How to watch Danica Patrick, IndyCar drivers practice live all week for Indy 500," 15 May 2018
All new employees are immersed in USAA’s culture from the first day of training, participating in an orientation that introduces them to the mission and membership.

— jessica levy, azcentral, "USAA seeks to hire more IT experts to help deliver top-tier digital services," 14 May 2018
In addition to registering for classes, students can complete FYIvy, an online introduction to the college, obtain financial aid information, meet with an advisor and sign up for an in-person orientation.

— staff report, Post-Tribune, "Community news," 25 Apr. 2018
The spacecraft then will adjust its orientation and spend another 27 days collecting another sector.

— william harwood, CBS News, "SpaceX launches NASA planet-hunting satellite," 18 Apr. 2018
Though there are no more December orientation sessions, there are still ways to help.

— gwendolyn purdom, RedEye Chicago, "Do good for lonely Chicago seniors with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly," 19 Dec. 2017
This week’s minicamp is akin to college orientation.

— jeff zrebiec, baltimoresun.com, "All eyes on rookie QB Lamar Jackson, who shows a little of everything in uneven minicamp performance," 5 May 2018
Schools would have to provide anti-hazing education to new students during the orientation process beginning in fall 2019.

— wilborn p. nobles iii, NOLA.com, "Louisiana House passes bill to require anti-hazing education at colleges," 2 May 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.