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

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

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

Dioceses across the country are reporting the highest amount of converts in decades, many of them drawn in by orthodox Catholic influencers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The rising cohorts of women’s-rights campaigners bore less of an imprint of the orthodox Protestantism than those of Stanton’s generation and had no interest in editing the Bible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

“A sputtering 60/40 rebalancing engine may allow for a more orthodox context for bond / equity correlations, and higher diversification and hedging benefits of long duration positions in portfolios,” they say.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 9, 2026

Ver had initially gone the orthodox route of hiring tax attorneys from a prestigious law firm, Steptoe.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

I was angry with myself for not having taken the time to leam more of the orthodox prayer rituals before leaving America.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey