Skip to content

orientation

orientation, direction

noun oh-ryahn-tah-SYOHN Rare

Origin: French orienter 'to orient', from orient 'east'

Also means

career guidance

Usage Note

Orientation covers spatial direction (finding your bearings), academic tracking (which stream a student is placed in), and sexual or political orientation. In French secondary education, l'orientation scolaire is the formal process of advising students on which academic or vocational track to follow. The related verb is s'orienter.

Examples

"Son orientation vers les sciences était évidente."

Natural Translation

Her orientation toward the sciences was evident.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic