Words / C1

ORTH-uh-doks/ˈɔːθədɒks/

Orthodox means following the usual accepted line: the orthodox view, orthodox method. Also Orthodox as in Orthodox Church / Orthodox Judaism (capital O). Conventional is a close cousin; unorthodox is the opposite. Paradox (this batch) is a seeming contradiction — a lookalike. Do not call a required ethics form unorthodox because it is dull.

Meaning

Following the usual, accepted ideas or methods of a group.

Examples

• “The orthodox test was a t-test; they still owed a reason for skipping it.”
• “The orthodox test was a t-test; skipping it still needed a written reason.”
• “Conventional is everyday-academic. Unorthodox can be praise or a warning. Capital Orthodox for the religious sense. Paradox is a different word.”

Good to know

Conventional; following the accepted line. Opposite: unorthodox. Religious: Orthodox (capital). Mix-up: paradox. Dull required process ≠ unorthodox.

Near in meaning

conventional

New