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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

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

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

Indeed, he would often take the new ball, bowling left-arm fast-medium - and then return later in the innings having switched to orthodox left-arm spin, or even left-arm wrist-spin.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

United's only experienced orthodox central midfielder is Kobbie Mainoo, who is yet to feature in England's World Cup campaign.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

This was contrary to orthodox Aristotelian philosophy, which said that there could be no such thing as a vacuum.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Previous short-lived truces in the war -- such as to mark Orthodox Easter -- have seen drop-offs in aerial attacks but been marred by accusations of widespread violations by both sides.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

A statement from the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said that 20 houses were burnt to the ground in the attacks.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

On Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, visited wounded survivors of the attack, which he condemned as a "vile, cowardly, and bloody act".

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

An Orthodox Jewish day school isn’t a secular school that happens to be operated by Jews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Incense serves a variety of purposes in the Orthodox church.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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