orientation
12 synonyms and 0 antonyms for orientation, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — An introductory session or programme that familiarises new students, employees or members with a place and its procedures.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
An introductory session or programme that familiarises new students, employees or members with a place and its procedures.
“Freshers' orientation runs for three days before lectures start.”
2. noun
The direction or position in which something is placed or facing relative to its surroundings.
“Change the page orientation to landscape before printing.”
3. noun
The general outlook, leaning or set of priorities of a person, organisation or piece of work.
“The department has a strongly practical orientation.”
How to Use Orientation
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral across all senses.
Etymology
From French orientation, from orienter 'to set facing east', ultimately from Latin oriens 'the rising sun, the east'. Early churches and maps were aligned eastwards, which gave the word its sense of establishing direction.
Full origin of orientation →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between orientation and onboarding?
Orientation is the short introductory event, often a day or two, covering paperwork, tours and basic policies. Onboarding is the longer process it belongs to, running for months until the newcomer is fully effective in the role.
What does portrait and landscape orientation mean?
Portrait orientation is taller than it is wide, the usual way a page of text is printed. Landscape is wider than it is tall, better for spreadsheets, wide images and slides.
Is it orientation or orientate?
Orientation is the noun for both. The verb is orient in American English and either orient or orientate in British English; orient is shorter and safe everywhere.