orientation

Orientation is all about the direction you're facing. A house can have an east-facing orientation. Freshman orientation starts you off in a good direction. Your political orientation means your political outlook.

Orientation is a relatively new word that was derived in the 19th century from orient, which means to point yourself in a specific direction. Hiking with map and compass is sometimes called orienteering, referring to hikers' use of those tools to orient themselves.

Definitions of orientation
  1. noun
    the act of orienting
    see moresee less
    type of:
    emplacement, locating, location, placement, position, positioning
    the act of putting something in a certain place
  2. noun
    position or alignment relative to points of the compass or other specific directions
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 5 types...
    hide 5 types...
    attitude
    position of aircraft or spacecraft relative to a frame of reference (the horizon or direction of motion)
    horizontal
    something that is oriented horizontally
    vertical
    something that is oriented vertically
    quarter
    one of the four major division of the compass
    trim
    attitude of an aircraft in flight when allowed to take its own orientation
    type of:
    direction
    the spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves
  3. noun
    a person's awareness of self with regard to position and time and place and personal relationships
    synonyms: bearing
    see moresee less
    type of:
    self-awareness
    awareness of your own individuality
  4. noun
    a predisposition in favor of something
    “showed a Marxist orientation”
    synonyms: predilection, preference
    see moresee less
    type of:
    predisposition
    an inclination beforehand to interpret statements in a particular way
  5. noun
    an integrated set of attitudes and beliefs
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 56 types...
    hide 56 types...
    wavelength
    a shared orientation leading to mutual understanding
    experimentalism
    an orientation that favors experimentation and innovation
    reorientation
    a fresh orientation; a changed set of attitudes and beliefs
    perspective, position, view
    a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
    orthodoxy
    a belief or orientation agreeing with conventional standards
    heresy, heterodoxy, unorthodoxy
    any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position
    ideology, political orientation, political theory
    an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation
    religious orientation
    an attitude toward religion or religious practices
    iconoclasm
    the orientation of an iconoclast
    bird's eye view, panoramic view
    a situation or topic as if viewed from an altitude or distance
    futurism
    the position that the meaning of life should be sought in the future
    cutting edge, forefront, vanguard
    the position of greatest importance or advancement; the leading position in any movement or field
    paradigm
    the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time
    light
    a particular perspective or aspect of a situation
    sight
    a range of mental vision
    Weltanschauung, world view
    a comprehensive view of the world and human life
    straddle
    a noncommittal or equivocal position
    conformism, conformity
    orthodoxy in thoughts and belief
    nonconformance, nonconformism, nonconformity
    a lack of orthodoxy in thoughts or beliefs
    absolutism, totalism, totalitarianism
    the principle of complete and unrestricted power in government
    anarchism
    a political theory favoring the abolition of governments
    autocracy
    a political theory favoring unlimited authority by a single individual
    centrism, moderatism
    a political philosophy of avoiding the extremes of left and right by taking a moderate position or course of action
    collectivism
    a political theory that the people should own the means of production
    communism
    a political theory favoring collectivism in a classless society
    conservatism, conservativism
    a political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society and opposing radical changes
    segregationism
    a political orientation favoring political or racial segregation
    constitutionalism
    advocacy of a system of government according to constitutional principles
    democracy
    the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives
    social democracy
    the belief in a gradual transition from capitalism to socialism by democratic means
    domino theory
    the political theory that if one nation comes under communist control then neighboring nations will also come under communist control
    elitism
    the attitude that society should be governed by an elite group of individuals
    extremism
    any ideology favoring immoderate, uncompromising policies
    fascism
    a political theory advocating an authoritarian hierarchical government (as opposed to democracy or liberalism)
    federalism
    the idea of a federal organization of more or less self-governing units
    imperialism
    a political orientation that advocates imperial interests
    leftism
    the ideology of the political left; belief in or support of the tenets of the political left
    liberalism
    a political orientation that favors social progress by reform and by changing laws rather than by revolution
    meritocracy
    the belief that rulers should be chosen for their superior abilities and not because of their wealth or birth
    libertarianism
    an ideological belief in freedom of thought and speech
    monarchism
    a belief in and advocacy of monarchy as a political system
    Negritude
    an ideological position that holds Black culture to be independent and valid on its own terms; an affirmation of the African cultural heritage
    Orleanism
    the political philosophy of the Orleanists
    progressivism
    the political orientation of those who favor progress toward better conditions in government and society
    radicalism
    the political orientation of those who favor revolutionary change in government and society
    reactionism
    the political orientation of reactionaries
    republicanism
    the political orientation of those who hold that a republic is the best form of government
    rightism
    the ideology of the political right; belief in or support of the tenets of the political right
    socialism
    a political theory advocating state ownership of industry
    theocracy
    the belief in government by divine guidance
    Utopianism
    the political orientation of a Utopian who believes in impossibly idealistic schemes of social perfection
    dovishness
    any political orientation favoring compromise to avoid conflict
    hawkishness
    any political orientation favoring aggressive policies
    agnosticism
    a religious orientation of doubt; a denial of ultimate knowledge of the existence of God
    atheism, godlessness
    the doctrine or belief that there is no God
    anti-Catholicism
    a religious orientation opposed to Catholicism
    type of:
    attitude, mental attitude
    a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
  6. noun
    a course introducing a new situation or environment
    synonyms: orientation course
    see moresee less
    type of:
    class, course, course of instruction, course of study
    education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
Word Family