orthodox

1 of 2

adjective

or·​tho·​dox ˈȯr-thə-ˌdäks How to pronounce orthodox (audio)
1
a
: conforming to established doctrine especially in religion
orthodox principles
the orthodox interpretation
b
: conventional
took an orthodox approach to the problem
orthodox medicine
2
capitalized : of, relating to, or constituting any of various conservative religious or political groups: such as
a
: eastern orthodox
Greek Orthodox rituals
b
: of, relating to, or practicing Orthodox Judaism
The core market for these vinifera wines remains Orthodox Jews who require kosher foods for religious ceremonies.Thomas Matthews
orthodoxly adverb

orthodox

2 of 2

noun

plural orthodox also orthodoxes
1
: one that is orthodox
2
capitalized : a member of an Eastern Orthodox church

Did you know?

An orthodox religious belief or interpretation is one handed down by a church's founders or leaders. When capitalized, as in Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox refers to a branch within a larger religious organization that claims to honor the religion's original or traditional beliefs. The steadfast holding of established beliefs that is seen in religious orthodoxy is apparent also in other kinds of orthodox behavior. Orthodox medical treatment, for example, follows the established practices of mainstream medicine. Unorthodox thinking is known in business language as "thinking outside the box".

Examples of orthodox in a Sentence

Adjective He took an orthodox approach to the problem. She believes in the benefits of both orthodox medicine and alternative medicine. He is a very orthodox Muslim. I attend an Eastern Orthodox church. My grandmother is Russian Orthodox.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Christian nationalists believe broadly in the orthodox and theological beliefs of Christianity, Whitehead said. Will Carless, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 Patt Morrison: Antisemitism is not new — certainly not in Los Angeles Jan. 5, 2024 Our other, storied shopping malls, are a lot more orthodox. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2024 The notion that Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided across a broad spectrum of political issues is as orthodox as the heliocentric theory of the universe. Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024 By 2023, however, the Russians had adapted and deployed a more orthodox defense in depth without the geographical vulnerability that had undermined them at Kherson. Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 29 Jan. 2024 The film follows a girl from an orthodox Hindu family, who aspires to become India’s best chef. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Jan. 2024 Odissi’s codified isolations involve moving the eyes, neck, torso, palms, fingers, ankles, toes, and heels independently and in opposition to other body parts—there are dozens of exercises for the eyes alone—but Satpathy has never been orthodox in her approach. Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 During the heady days of spring, the Journal’s editorial writers, like so many orthodox Republicans, were beguiled by the idea of Ron DeSantis. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 4 Sep. 2023 Summers took issue with this portion of the guidelines specifically, preferring instead to stick with the current, orthodox view that defines monopolies by their effect on consumer prices. Bypaolo Confino, Fortune, 21 July 2023
Noun
No Name Restaurant, from directors Stefan Sarazin and Peter Keller, is a road comedy about an ultra orthodox Brooklyn Jew stranded in the Sinai desert whose only hope for survival is a grumpy Bedouin. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2023 Conventional orthodox Christians have to grapple with perplexing predictions in the Bible itself. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2011 Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, told ABC News the FBI contacted him on Thursday to help get the word out to New Jersey's orthodox synagogues. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2022 Just as pragmatic liberals pursue piecemeal reforms and orthodox Marxists hold out for the proletarian revolution, the lodestar of the PowerPoint left is ideological realignment. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021 This is true for the left and the right: The trans community can get ads addressing their concerns just as easily as the religiously orthodox can addressing theirs. Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 10 Jan. 2020 That had the effect of enforcing a very bland neutrality in radio and television, one that really favored well-established, orthodox, left-of-center views and conservatives hated that. Andrew Marino, The Verge, 13 Aug. 2019 The decision was seen by many as supportive of central-bank autonomy while bringing an orthodox although sometimes critical voice to the bank’s policy-setting board. Juan Montes, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2018 Also in the region Mr. Heath, who specializes in econometrics and monetary policy, is widely seen as an orthodox economist. Juan Montes, WSJ, 26 Sep. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'orthodox.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English orthodoxe, from Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French orthodoxe, from Late Latin orthodoxus, from Late Greek orthodoxos, from Greek orth- + doxa opinion — more at doxology

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of orthodox was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near orthodox

Cite this Entry

“Orthodox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orthodox. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

orthodox

adjective
or·​tho·​dox
ˈȯr-thə-ˌdäks
1
: holding established beliefs especially in religion
an orthodox Christian
2
: approved as measuring up to some standard : usual, conventional
take an orthodox approach to a problem
3
capitalized
b
: of or relating to Orthodox Judaism
orthodoxly adverb
Etymology

Adjective

from early French orthodoxe or Latin orthodoxus, both meaning "orthodox," from Greek orthodoxos (same meaning), from orthodoxein "to have the right or true opinion," derived from orthos "right, true" and doxa "opinion"

Word Origin
When someone has the same opinions and beliefs as those held by most other people, these opinions are usually considered the "right" opinions to have. In English such opinions might be called "orthodox." The English word orthodox comes originally from the Greek words orthos, meaning "right, true" and doxa, meaning "opinion." These two words were combined to form the Greek verb orthodoxein, meaning "to have the right opinion." From orthodoxein came the Greek adjective orthodoxos, which was borrowed into Latin as orthodoxus. The English adjective orthodox comes from this Latin adjective.

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