pertinent

per·ti·nent

adjective \ˈpər-tə-nənt, ˈpərt-nənt\

Definition of PERTINENT

: having a clear decisive relevance to the matter in hand

— per·ti·nent·ly adverb

Examples of PERTINENT

1. <he impressed the jury with his concise, pertinent answers to the attorney's questions>
2. At the dawn of the common-law court system, jurors took their places as residents of the neighborhood where the pertinent events had occurred, who were assumed to possess special knowledge of the facts and, more important, of every witness's credibility. —Hiller B. Zobel, American Heritage, July/August 1995
3. A more pertinent question than “What am I?” is “How can I be who I am and still hack it in America?” —C. Eric Lincoln, Lure and Loathing, 1993
4. But as my moment of fame ticks by, a more pertinent issue persists: What hath CNN wrought in the worlds of communications, of diplomacy, of politics? —Peter Arnett, Washington Post, 25-31 Mar. 1991
5. No recurrent symbolism in the Odyssey is more pertinent than the long and deliberate stripping its hero undergoes: of his ships, of his men, of his hopes, of his clothes, even of his very skin on the cliffs of Corfu. —John Fowles, Island, 1978

Origin of PERTINENT

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin pertinent-, pertinens, present participle of pertinēre (see pertain)

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PERTINENT

Synonyms

applicable, apposite, apropos, germane, material, pointed, relative, relevant, to the point

Antonyms

extraneous, immaterial, impertinent, inapplicable, inapposite, irrelative, irrelevant, pointless

Related Words

appropriate, apt, fit, fitting, suitable; important, meaningful, significant; sensible, useful; admissible, allowable

Near Antonyms

frivolous, inconsequential, insignificant, little, minor, negligible, slight, trifling, trivial, unimportant; meaningless, purposeless, senseless, useless; inappropriate, inapt, unsuitable; inadmissible

See Synonym Discussion at relevant