# oriental

/ˌɔɹiˈɛnəɫ/ (US) · /ˌɔːɹɪˈɛntəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/oriental
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. relating to East Asia

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

describing things like food, rugs, or art from East Asian countries.

For teachers: pertaining to the cultures, regions, or products of the Orient, specifically East Asia.

- The museum has a beautiful collection of oriental rugs from the nineteenth century.
- The interior designer specialised in sourcing authentic oriental ceramics for high-end residential projects.

Usage: In modern English, this is generally acceptable for objects like rugs or spices, but not for people.

Teaching tip: Learners should be aware that while common in product names, using this to describe a person is considered offensive in many English-speaking cultures.

### 3. astronomy/sky

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

describing something in the eastern part of the sky, usually before the sun rises.

For teachers: pertaining to the eastern part of the celestial sphere; specifically, appearing in the east before sunrise.

- The planet was in an oriental position just before the dawn.
- The astronomer noted the oriental appearance of Venus, which was visible shortly before the sun broke the horizon.

Usage: Used primarily in technical astronomical or astrological contexts.

### 4. precious stones

adjective · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

describing a pearl or jewel that has a very high quality and shine.

For teachers: referring to a pearl or other gemstone of superior lustre or value.

- The queen wore a necklace made of fine oriental pearls.
- The jeweller identified the specimen as an oriental sapphire, noting its exceptional clarity and deep hue.

Teaching tip: This is a very rare, specialised sense found in older texts about jewellery.

## Examples

- The museum has a large collection of Oriental art.
- The professor specialized in Oriental studies, a term that was common in the mid-twentieth century but has since been replaced.
- Scholars now argue that the term Oriental was often used to create a sense of 'otherness' that simplified the diverse cultures of the East into a single, exotic category.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.