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Glite Dictionary
orientating

orientating

5.9
Giving information that helps people find their position or direction, for example with a map
  • adjective
  • /ˈɔːrɪənˌteɪtɪŋ/
  • UK
translation icon : orientador
  • The orientating process for new students includes campus tours and introductory lectures.

Examples

  • Before the hike, the guide conducted an orientating session to teach the group how to read maps.

  • As she walked through the museum, her orientating skills helped her navigate the complex corridors.

  • The hikers found the trail markers useful for orientating themselves in the dense forest.

  • The map is orientating us.

  • She is orientating herself to the new environment.

  • The orientating lecture helped students understand the layout of the university campus.

  • He used a compass as an orientating tool to find his way through the unfamiliar territory.

Synonyms

to orient
vsorientating
20 4.1

To find where you are in the area around you

emphasizes aligning to a system or reference rather than only locating position
to orient oneself
vsorientating
2 4.9

To find where you are and what to do in a new place

is about setting or aligning position to a reference point rather than gaining familiarity
orienting
vsorientating
5.3

Helping someone find directions and learn about a new place or situation

focuses on actively setting or aligning position to a reference point
to orientate
vsorientating
  • UK
6.5

To find your position and get used to a new place or situation

includes both physical and intellectual aligning, not just physical position

Antonyms

disorienting
8 6.0

Making someone feel confused and unable to find their way

Surface Forms

orientating positive

Morphology

orientating = orientate (transparent) = orientate + ing

Formed by the verb 'orientate' plus the productive English suffix '-ing', yielding a participial/adjectival meaning 'aligning' or 'determining bearings'.

Etymology

The word orientating comes from the Latin root oriens, which means 'rising' and was used for the 'east' where the sun rises, and you can see the same root in orient and orientation. So, to be orientating is to find your direction or 'set your bearings', like using the sunrise, a map, or a compass to know which way to go.