orientation

[ awr-ee-uhn-tey-shuhn, -en-, ohr- ]

noun

1. the act or process of orienting.
2. the state of being oriented.
3. an introduction, as to guide one in adjusting to new surroundings, employment, activity, or the like:

   New employees receive two days of orientation.

4. Psychology, Psychiatry. the ability to locate oneself in one's environment with reference to time, place, and people.
5. one's position in relation to true north, to points on the compass, or to a specific place or object.
6. the ascertainment of one's true position, as in a novel situation, with respect to attitudes, judgments, etc.
7. Chemistry.
   1. the relative positions of certain atoms or groups, especially in aromatic compounds.
   2. the determination of the position of substituted atoms or groups in a compound.

orientation

/ ˌɔːrɪɛnˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of orienting or the state of being oriented
2. position or positioning with relation to the points of the compass or other specific directions
3. the adjustment or alignment of oneself or one's ideas to surroundings or circumstances
4. Also calledorientation course
   1. a course, programme, lecture, etc, introducing a new situation or environment
   2. ( as modifier )

      an orientation talk

5. psychol the knowledge of one's own temporal, social, and practical circumstances in life
6. basic beliefs or preferences

   sexual orientation

7. biology the change in position of the whole or part of an organism in response to a stimulus, such as light
8. chem the relative dispositions of atoms, ions, or groups in molecules or crystals
9. the siting of a church on an east-west axis, usually with the altar at the E end

Derived Forms

• ˌorienˈtational, adjective

Other Words From

• ori·en·tative adjective
• nono·ri·en·tation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of orientation¹

First recorded in 1830–40; orientate + -ion

Example Sentences

A few years later, she created her own social media channel, where she shares with the more than 8,500 followers her own difficult process of accepting her daughter’s sexual orientation.

From Los Angeles Times

“Americans want to wake up in a normal country again,” Roberts began, likely euphemistically referring to Project 2025’s plan to all but erase federal protections and anti-discrimination measures based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

From Salon

In September, over 100 groups signed a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson urging him to block the bill because it “poses a direct threat to the constitutional rights of any American nonprofit, house of worship, or advocacy organization, whether conservative, moderate, or liberal in orientation.”

From Salon

The company, however, continues to face criticism about its privacy practices: earlier this year, it was sued by hundreds of users in the United Kingdom for allegedly sharing personal information — including HIV status and test dates, ethnicity and sexual orientation — with advertising companies without users’ consent.

From Los Angeles Times

Neither does the Pentagon’s estimate count veterans separated because of their sexual orientation before 1994, when automatic discharge was the formal policy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• direction
• location