Definitions

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Adjusted or aligned to surroundings or circumstances; sometimes used in combination.
  • adjective headed or intending to head in a certain direction. Opposite of unoriented.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective having a specific orientation
  • verb Simple past tense and past participle of orientation.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective adjusted or located in relation to surroundings or circumstances; sometimes used in combination

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word orientated.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • I know this is real word, but it sounds wrong to me.

    September 19, 2008

  • I prefer to use oriented.

    September 19, 2008

  • I’m interested in the regional usage of this; personally, I’m Australian and I use orientated instead of oriented.

    Postscript: a quick Google search has informed me that orientated is common British usage, whereas oriented is common US usage, as well as in technical fields.

    October 5, 2008

  • I think I say disoriented but use orientated in other situations.

    October 5, 2008

  • I'm Australian (Sydney born and bred) and I use orient/oriented and, of course, disoriented. But I certainly do hear, in Australia, usage such as: "I need to orientate myself" and even "I felt disorientated", which always makes me twitch a bit.

    When I lived in America (eastern edge of the Midwest) I think I heard "orientated" at least as frequently as "oriented".

    My Shorter OED says that orientate is most likely a 19th-century back-formation from orientation and refers the reader to orient.

    And isn't it a wonderful word, with that idea of facing east, and the specific meaning coming from church architecture? (St Andrews Anglican Cathedral in Sydney has only just recently reoriented its altar to the eastern end of the building after moving it at some point in its history to avoid seeming popish.)

    PS. This discussion has made me think of acclimate vs acclimatize, the former being almost exclusively US, the latter Australian/British.

    October 5, 2008

  • How about dilatation?

    October 5, 2008