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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

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

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

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

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Cepeda has pledged to introduce a new economic and social model, one that his orthodox Communist father might have envisioned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

“Such dislike, however, cannot justify using regulatory processes to restrict those views. The government does not get to decide ‘what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.’”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

Black businessmen walked side by side with black orthodox Jews.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

One Orthodox protester, engaged in a shouting match with a counter-demonstrator, said he had chosen to live in a religious area.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

After several hours of noisy confrontation, the Orthodox protesters left, with plans to fight their battle again next Saturday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

The April killings sparked an outcry from rights groups and some leading Ethiopian figures, including the influential head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Stacks of books, tables littered with essays and commentaries, piles of Jewish magazines—these Orthodox homes form one of the few demographics where the printed word still thrives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

In the Orthodox Church, we don’t go in for partial immersion; no sprinkling, no forehead dabbing for us.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides