orientation

American  

[awr-ee-uhn-tey-shuhn, -en-, ohr-] / ˌɔr i ənˈteɪ ʃən, -ɛn-, ˌoʊr- /

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.

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orientation British  

/ 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 called: orientation 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

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Other Word Forms

• nonorientation noun
• orientational adjective
• orientative adjective

Etymology

Origin of orientation

First recorded in 1830–40; orientate + -ion

Explanation

Orientation is all about the direction you're facing. A house can have an east-facing orientation. Freshman orientation starts you off in a good direction. Your political orientation means your political outlook. Orientation is a relatively new word that was derived in the 19th century from orient, which means to point yourself in a specific direction. Hiking with a map and a compass is sometimes called orienteering, referring to hikers' use of those tools to orient themselves.

Example Sentences

He and his staff talk about the prospect of AI riches, sharing stories of teenagers who got into elite universities, but barely stayed through orientation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

The team also discovered that the orientation of nanoscrolls in solution can be controlled using an electric field.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

State lawmakers passed the new measures in response to healthcare professionals who said that efforts to change a teenager’s sexual orientation were both ineffective and harmful.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

And so the orientation of African Americans, Chinese immigrants, or any immigrants to the United States, the goal is to gain legal citizenship.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2026

Something to do with balance and equilibrium affecting my spatial orientation.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Related Words

• direction
• location