orientation

noun

Sayor-ee-en-TAY-shuhn/ˌɔɹiɛnˈteɪʃən/

12 meanings of orientation

1
nouncountable
The way something is turned or pointed compared to other things.
Like turning a picture frame so it hangs the right way up.
The orientation of the solar panels affects how much sunlight they catch.
We changed the orientation of the bed so it faced the window.
Similarposition, alignment, direction
2
nouncountable or uncountable
A set of events that help new students get to know their school.
Like a welcome tour on your first day that shows you around.
Freshman orientation lasts three days before classes start.
At orientation, we learned where all the classrooms were.
Similarinduction
Note
3
nouncountable or uncountableabbreviationellipsis
Short form of sexual orientation. Used when the subject is already clear from context.
The company protects all employees regardless of their orientation.
He talked openly about his orientation with his closest friends.
Note
4
nouncountable
The process of getting used to a new place or situation.
Like slowly learning your way around after moving to a new house.
Her orientation to city life took a few weeks.
The new job required some orientation before he felt comfortable.
Similaradjustment, adaptation, acclimatization
5
nouncountable
The way a page is set up, either tall (portrait) or wide (landscape).
Like holding your phone upright or turning it sideways to watch a video.
Change the orientation to landscape so the chart fits on one page.
I printed the photo in portrait orientation.
Note
6
nouncountable
A general way of thinking or leaning toward something.
Like a compass needle that keeps pointing the same direction.
His political orientation leans toward helping local businesses.
The school has a strong orientation toward the arts.
Similarfocus, direction, inclination, leaning, tendency
7
nouncountable
A first introduction that helps you get to know a new place.
Like a guided tour that shows you around a new place.
The new hire got an orientation on her first day.
Volunteers receive a short orientation before they start.
Similarintroduction, induction, briefing
8
nouncountable
The ability to know where you are and which way to go.
Like always knowing which way is north, even in the dark.
After spinning around, she lost her orientation for a moment.
Good orientation helps hikers stay on the right path.
Oppositedisorientation
Note
9
nouncountable
The act of working out where something is compared to other things.
Like figuring out where you are on a map before you set off.
Careful orientation of the telescope took most of the night.
Orientation of the new building required surveying the land first.
Similarpositioning, alignment
10
noununcountable
Building a church so its long aisle runs east to west, with the altar at the east end.
Like building every house on a street so the front door faces the same way.
The old cathedral keeps the traditional orientation, so it faces the rising sun.
Builders kept the orientation so the morning sun lit the altar.
11
nouncountable
A way of choosing which set of directions in a space counts as positive and which as negative.
Like deciding which way to turn counts as 'forward' and which counts as 'back.'
Choosing an orientation tells you which way around counts as positive.
Every flat space of this kind has two possible orientations.
Note
12
nouncountable
A way of choosing a direction to travel along a curve or across a surface.
Like choosing to walk around a track one way instead of the other.
Picking an orientation tells you which way to move along the circle.
The curve has two orientations: clockwise or counterclockwise.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From French orientation. It can be seen as orient plus -ation.