orientation

noun

ori·​en·​ta·​tion ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌen-

plural orientations

1

a

: the act or process of orienting or of being oriented

These materials are for the orientation of new employees.

b

: the state of being oriented

the orientation of the main altar of the church

broadly : arrangement, alignment

the orientation of molecules

2

a

: a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest

the fundamentally human orientation of Greek art

—Bruce Cole

This company has a decidedly conservative orientation.

b

: a person's sexual identity or self-identification as bisexual, straight, gay, lesbian, pansexual, etc. : the state of being bisexual, straight, gay, lesbian, pansexual, etc. : sexual orientation

3

: change of position by organs, organelles, or organisms in response to external stimulus

The plant's orientation is toward light.

orientational

ˌȯr-ē-ən-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl 

-ˌen-

adjective

orientationally adverb

Synonyms

• aspect
• exposure
• frontage

Examples of orientation in a Sentence

These materials are used for the orientation of new employees.

They identified as bisexual in orientation.

The organization has a decidedly conservative orientation.

Her later works were more introspective in orientation.

New students need to go through a short orientation before they begin classes.

Recent Examples on the Web

The attention to detail continues after arrival, with orientation and activities beginning right away, plus an amazingly friendly, dedicated and helpful staff—roughly 400 employees, many of them from multi-generational families working here. —Larry Olmsted, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024

The school began preparing students and community members on what to do in case of a wildfire during new student orientation at the beginning of the academic year. —Amy Taxin and Eric Thayer, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Dec. 2024

Nearly a year after NASA's Ingenuity helicopter crash landed on Mars following an extended, remarkably successful mission, engineers have determined the most likely culprit: Flight over sand drifts so featureless that on-board sensors could not determine the helicopter's orientation and velocity. —William Harwood, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2024

As for whether people can be trained to be great leaders—as opposed to simply being born with the proper traits in the proper orientation, Buffett split the difference. —Jane Thier, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing orientation

• freshman orientation
• sexual orientation

Kids Definition

orientation

noun

ori·​en·​ta·​tion ˌōr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən 

ˌȯr-ē-ˌen-

1

a

: the act or process of orienting or of being oriented

b

: the state of being oriented

2

a

: a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest

b

: a person's sexual identity or self-identification

bisexual in orientation

3

: change of position by a cell or organism or by one of their parts in response to outside stimulus

Medical Definition

orientation

noun

ori·​en·​ta·​tion ˌōr-ē-ən-ˈtā-shən, ˌȯr-, -ˌen- 

1

a

: the act or process of orienting or of being oriented

b

: the state of being oriented

2

: a usually general or lasting direction of thought, inclination, or interest see sexual orientation

3

: change of position by organs, organelles, or organisms in response to external stimulus

4

: awareness of the existing situation with reference to time, place, and identity of persons

psychological orientation

orientational

-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

adjective

orientationally

-ē 

adverb