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• orthodox
  orthodox

  adjective

  of, relating to, or conforming to the approved form of any doctrine, philosophy, ideology, etc.
• Orthodox
  Orthodox

  adjective

  of or relating to the Orthodox Church of the East

orthodox

American  

[awr-thuh-doks] / ˈɔr θəˌdɒks /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or conforming to the approved form of any doctrine, philosophy, ideology, etc.

2. of, relating to, or conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved.

3. customary or conventional, as a means or method; established.

   Synonyms:

   fixed, routine, commonplace, traditional

4. sound or correct in opinion or doctrine, especially theological or religious doctrine.

5. conforming to the Christian faith as represented in the creeds of the early church.

6. Orthodox,

   1. of, relating to, or designating the Eastern Church, especially the Greek Orthodox Church.

   2. of, relating to, or characteristic of Orthodox Jews or Orthodox Judaism.

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Orthodox ¹ British  

/ ˈɔːθəˌdɒks /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Orthodox Church of the East

2. (sometimes not capital)

   1. of or relating to Orthodox Judaism

   2. (of an individual Jew) strict in the observance of Talmudic law and in personal devotions

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orthodox ² British  

/ ˈɔːθəˌdɒks /

adjective

1. conforming with established or accepted standards, as in religion, behaviour, or attitudes

2. conforming to the Christian faith as established by the early Church

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Other Word Forms

• orthodoxness
  noun
• antiorthodox
  adjective
• hyperorthodox
  adjective
• nonorthodox
  adjective
• pro-orthodox
  adjective
• semiorthodox
  adjective
• ultraorthodox
  adjective
• unorthodox
  adjective
• antiorthodoxly
  adverb
• nonorthodoxly
  adverb
• orthodoxly
  adverb
• semiorthodoxly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of orthodox

First recorded in 1575–85; from Late Latin orthodoxus “right in religion,” from Late Greek orthódoxos, equivalent to ortho- ortho- + dóx(a) “belief, opinion” + -os adjective suffix

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Explanation

Orthodox practices or beliefs are generally accepted as true or correct. If you are an orthodox vegetarian, you never, ever eat meat — not like those people who have fish once in a while. When capitalized, Orthodox is the name of the Eastern Church, originally distinguished by its doctrinal differences from the other divisions of the Christian Church. Orthodox is also the name of the branch of Judaism that strictly follows traditional beliefs and customs, derived from orthodox in the earlier meaning of "strictly observant."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

orthodox Orthodox

In the orthodox view, this is rooted in economies’ underlying structure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Arguments that Burger and Bork dismissed as fringe advocacy became orthodox within conservative legal circles.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

The recklessness of the fourth evening was made more baffling by the orthodox manner in which England went about their business on Monday.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

“Instead, he hammered home a strict, orthodox message on inflation with a strong commitment to price stability.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

As Wotton interpreted Swift, it was Swift, the critic of the moderns, who was the sceptical unbeliever, while Wotton presented himself as an orthodox Protestant.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The Orthodox have missed Rome’s ability to coordinate, its missionary zeal, its indefatigability in serving the needy, and its intellectual heritage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Why, then, should Catholic and Orthodox Christians care about unity?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Gender segregation is standard practice for many Orthodox Jews but is forbidden in public places by the government of socially liberal Tel Aviv.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Robert Briscoe, who was both a celebrated Irish revolutionary and an Orthodox Jew, became lord mayor of Dublin in the 1950s.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Every Orthodox Jew sent his male children to a yeshiva, a Jewish parochial school, where they studied from eight or nine in the morning to four or five in the evening.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

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