orthodox
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or conforming to the approved form of any doctrine, philosophy, ideology, etc.
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of, relating to, or conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved.
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customary or conventional, as a means or method; established.
- Synonyms:
- fixed, routine, commonplace, traditional
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sound or correct in opinion or doctrine, especially theological or religious doctrine.
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conforming to the Christian faith as represented in the creeds of the early church.
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Orthodox,
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of, relating to, or designating the Eastern Church, especially the Greek Orthodox Church.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of Orthodox Jews or Orthodox Judaism.
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adjective
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of or relating to the Orthodox Church of the East
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(sometimes not capital)
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of or relating to Orthodox Judaism
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(of an individual Jew) strict in the observance of Talmudic law and in personal devotions
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adjective
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conforming with established or accepted standards, as in religion, behaviour, or attitudes
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conforming to the Christian faith as established by the early Church
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing orthodox
The Handmaid's Tale
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World Religions
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Eastern Europe - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Instead, he hammered home a strict, orthodox message on inflation with a strong commitment to price stability.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Today’s hold reinforces that the RBI is an orthodox inflation-targeting central bank,” Varma says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 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
But Fury quickly found rhythm, picking apart Makhmudov's high guard and limited movement with counters, switching between southpaw and orthodox.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
And at night she cooked these orthodox dishes for Harry and her.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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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
The older way of consuming media can still be found on the Friday evenings when millions of Orthodox Jews enter a world where printed pages still matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
London Manor House Travelodge is situated in Finsbury Park, a mile away from Stamford Hill, the largest strictly Orthodox Jewish community in Europe.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an 11th-century monastery with emblematic golden domes, is venerated by both the Russian and Ukrainian wings of the Orthodox Church as one of their most important spiritual centres.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
When a Greek Orthodox church in Flint burned down, Milton drove up and salvaged one of the surviving stained glass windows.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.