orientation

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

Definition of orientation

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 self-identification as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual

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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orientational

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

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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

Walking into an unfamiliar room at orientation and seeing faces that didn’t look like mine on the first day was disheartening.

— Teen Vogue, "Lit Club Winners: First Day of School," 29 Aug. 2017
Neuroanatomist Michael Hofmann at the University of Bonn in Germany is beginning a comparative study of the inner ears of fish to understand their hearing and orientation.

— ryan cross, Science | AAAS, "New 3D scanning campaign will reveal 20,000 animals in stunning detail," 24 Aug. 2017
The orientation is only part of the overall two-year effort put into integrating new teachers and staff into the district.

— steve sadin, chicagotribune.com, "26 new teachers, staff members starting in District 109," 14 Aug. 2017
Women outnumber men by more than six to one here at Carlow University, where Smith is a senior and an orientation leader who was preparing to welcome incoming freshmen.

— jon marcus, The Atlantic, "Why Men Are the New College Minority," 8 Aug. 2017
New students can apply for admission, take an assessment test and complete orientation.

— Post-Tribune, "Community news," 27 July 2017
The registration fee includes a packet with exercises to help candidates train for the course and the opportunity to attend orientation sessions where candidates can familiarize themselves with the eight stations in person.

— zak koeske, Daily Southtown, "Testing facility for firefighter candidates opens in Homewood," 26 July 2017
Maybe that work-life balance human resources once stressed in orientation is as dead as the dodo.

— doug williams, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How to stay afloat when your workplace is toxic," 17 July 2017
The party’s ideological orientation has barely changed.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "How ‘Neoliberalism’ Became The Left’s Favorite Insult Of Liberals," 16 July 2017

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

orientation Synonyms

Synonyms

aspect, frontage, exposure

Related Words

alignment (also alinement), arrangement

ORIENTATION Defined for English Language Learners

orientation

noun

Definition of orientation for English Language Learners

: 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.