orientation

American  

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

noun

• orientations
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonorientation
  noun
• orientational
  adjective
• orientative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• orientations
  plural

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

See Examples For:

orientation orientations

In 2016, the king made headlines again by giving an impassioned speech , externalsupporting diversity of religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

The clearest dividing line our interviewees described was orientation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

He was supposed to be at freshman orientation but didn’t have a way to get from the Bay Area down to San Diego.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

After reaching the desired orientation, the team used an annealing process designed specifically for the material.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026

I explained quickly about the monster orientation class.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

"The Fifa World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds. Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events," it said in a statement.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

In tongue muscle, the method highlighted layered fiber orientations linked to movement and flexibility.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 9, 2025

In California, sex education curriculum must recognize that people have different sexual orientations, including same-sex relationships.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025

The VSM model describes systems at five levels: The first three dealing with things as they are, the fourth deals with future possibilities and the fifth deals with the tensions between those orientations.

From Salon ● May 10, 2025

Do you need help getting to the orientations tomorrow?

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• direction
• location