# Is "Orientated" really a legitimate word? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478 "2005-03-08T02:24:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/21 "2005-03-08T17:42:51Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > A “verbed noun”? So we have the verb “to verb” now? Of course… > [@](#): > > Calvin: I like to verb words. > Hobbes: What? > Calvin: I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when “access” was a thing? Now, it’s something you do. It got verbed. Verbing weirds language. > Hobbes: Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/22 "2005-03-08T17:51:29Z")
> [@Arwin](#): > > plant - plantation > orient - orientation > orientate - orientations > frustrate - frustration > > However, the past tense is often a good ‘taste’ test: > > planted - plantation > oriented - orientation > orientated - orientation > frustrated - frustration Some people are going to be extremely frustred by your conclusion. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/23 "2005-03-08T20:43:59Z")
To my English ears oriented sounds wrong, like a made up word for making something more asian. I oriented my appartment by buying a futon. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/24 "2005-03-08T20:50:39Z")
I’m an American technical writer, former English major, and I dislike “orientate.” I use “orient” in all cases that call for it instead. And my Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate gives “orient” as the definition for “orientate,” and not the other way round. The English are just mad that we speak their language better than they do. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/25 "2005-03-08T21:14:22Z")
While we are on the subject of excess syllables, what purpose does _preventative_ serve that _preventive_ does not? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/26 "2005-03-08T21:18:39Z")
I had always felt that it was a faux-technical back-formation, but I’m inclined to agree with **Hermann**. To gain one’s bearings or to place something in the proper orientation is to _orient_ it; but when one engages in the activity of orienteering, one does the specialized form of orienting oneself properly referred to as orientating. And that is the **only** use I’d consider it correct for. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/27 "2005-03-08T21:21:01Z")
Are people who do this orientators? Because I thought that was a potato dish. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/28 "2005-03-08T21:29:04Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > I think it’s more accepted in Britain and Australia. Kinda like “aluminium.” Both forms are common in Australia. I personally always use \*oriented \* in preference to _orientated_. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/29 "2005-03-08T23:02:26Z")
So do you Americans have oriention days when starting a new job? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/30 "2005-03-08T23:18:33Z")
Hm. Seems that most posters to this thread share my bias! Well, I’ll avoid being a grammar fiend (since it seems _orientate_ isn’t actually wrong so much as _just not right_) and not correct anybody who’s using it, but I will silently think condescending thoughts. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/31 "2005-03-08T23:44:40Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Hm. Seems that most posters to this thread share my bias! > > Well, I’ll avoid being a grammar fiend (since it seems _orientate_ isn’t actually wrong so much as _just not right_) and not correct anybody who’s using it, but I will silently think condescending thoughts. 😃 But J.R.R.Tolkien would have said orientated being as he was a Brit 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/32 "2005-03-09T00:27:50Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > But J.R.R.Tolkien would have said orientated being as he was a Brit 😉 Yeah, but since he didn’t actually seem to write it that way in any of his Middle Earth writings, I don’t really care! (You may of course reduce me to cognitive dissonance by citing an example of him writing “orientated” or similar in any of his sub-creation literature) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/33 "2005-03-09T03:32:28Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > So, do we now have the adverb “adjectively”? Or the adjective “adverbish”? Actually, “adjectivally” and “adverbial” are both words, albeit not necessarily common words. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/34 "2005-03-09T04:00:13Z")
It’s ironical you should ask that. How about heatlessness and yieldlessness? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/35 "2005-03-09T05:02:22Z")
This whole topic is quite disorienting! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Arwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Arwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/36 "2005-03-09T09:45:57Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > This whole topic is quite disorienting! 😛 As long as we keep a goal-oriented approach to the matter we’ll end up on top eventually. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/37 "2005-03-09T15:21:56Z")
This is from American Heritage Dictionary: or·i·en·tate v. or·i·en·tat·ed, or·i·en·tat·ing, or·i·en·tates. --tr. 1. To orient: “He . . . stood for a moment, orientating himself exactly in the light of his knowledge” (John le Carré). --intr. To face or turn to the east. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/38 "2005-03-09T15:41:58Z")
Oh no, we’ve disorientated **Polycarp** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478/39 "2005-03-09T17:27:27Z")
> [@astro](#): > > It’s ironical you should ask that. How about heatlessness and yieldlessness? It’s ok for one such as I with an xmex-like snout and a xymolosely polydactyl tongue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-orientated-really-a-legitimate-word/293478.md?page=1)