salient

1 of 2

adjective

sa·​lient ˈsā-lyənt How to pronounce salient (audio)
-lē-ənt
1
: moving by leaps or springs : jumping
2
: jetting upward
a salient fountain
3
a
: projecting beyond a line, surface, or level
b
: standing out conspicuously : prominent
especially : of notable significance
similar to … Prohibition, but there are a couple of salient differences Tony Gibbs
saliently adverb

salient

2 of 2

noun

sa·​lient ˈsā-lyənt How to pronounce salient (audio)
-lē-ənt
: something (such as a promontory) that projects outward or upward from its surroundings
especially : an outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense

Did you know?

Salient first popped up in English as a word referring to the act of leaping. It is from the Latin verb salire, which means "to leap." Today, salient is usually used to describe things that "leap out," such as the salient features of a painting or the salient points in an argument.

Choose the Right Synonym for salient

noticeable, remarkable, prominent, outstanding, conspicuous, salient, striking mean attracting notice or attention.

noticeable applies to something unlikely to escape observation.

a piano recital with no noticeable errors

remarkable applies to something so extraordinary or exceptional as to invite comment.

a film of remarkable intelligence and wit

prominent applies to something commanding notice by standing out from its surroundings or background.

a doctor who occupies a prominent position in the town

outstanding applies to something that rises above and excels others of the same kind.

honored for her outstanding contributions to science

conspicuous applies to something that is obvious and unavoidable to the sight or mind.

conspicuous bureaucratic waste

salient applies to something of significance that merits the attention given it.

the salient points of the speech

striking applies to something that impresses itself powerfully and deeply upon the observer's mind or vision.

the region's striking poverty

Examples of salient in a Sentence

Adjective Then there were those who doubted the need for radio in the first place, since the telegraph was already ubiquitous. Marconi's salient achievement was to realize that radio waves could be transmitted across vast distances, an incalculable step forward in mass communications. Kevin Baker, New York Times Book Review, 5 Nov. 2006
A 2002 study conducted at the University of Illinois by Diener and Seligman found that the most salient characteristics shared by the 10% of students with the highest levels of happiness and the fewest signs of depression were their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them. Claudia Wallis, Time, 17 Jan. 2005
The difference between the people Liebling chose to write about and today's celebrity culture is the difference between the "profile" and the "portrait." A profile is an outline, a concise rendering of the most salient facts, though the facts may be inessential and even inaccurate in their generality. … A portrait, on the other hand, is a revelation, an exposure. Lee Siegel, Harper's, December 2004
Kermeen cites "a book published in 1882" that says of ghosts at the Myrtles: "The lights are never extinguished at the plantation. When the lights are all out, something always happens." Kermeen does not further identify this book (another source says it was published "in 1900"), but the salient point here is that it apparently did not mention the Chloe tale. That suggests it was probably unknown until relatively recently. Joe Nickell, Skeptical Inquirer, September/October 2003
Noun The attempts of the Teutonic armies to envelop and destroy some portion of the Russian forces involved the creation of several dangerous salients in the Russian line, followed by an endeavor to close the neck of each salient by attacks from both sides and so to isolate the armies forming its apex. Douglas Wilson Johnson, Topography and Strategy in the War, 1917
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The study’s findings are especially salient given the existing research highlighting Latino children’s outsized asthma rates, mostly due to pollution and other environmental hazards to which Latino households are disproportionately exposed. Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024 This commitment is especially salient among the Orthodox branches, which, for all their issues, have seen their numbers grow even as the Conservative and Reform congregations have declined. Benjamin Dubow, Longreads, 20 Feb. 2024 Spanning 1960 to 2004, the book offers case studies from years in which foreign policy was particularly salient in a national election. Jessica T. Mathews, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 These emotions are especially salient within polyamorous relationships, where the excitement of a new relationship can arise alongside the comfort of preexisting relationships. Georgi Gardiner, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2024 An image showing salient research points of Krasue. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023 In payments, the lack of interoperability in today’s services is very salient. Christian Catalini, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 In turn, regional shifts, including the March 2023 rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the ongoing Houthi-Saudi and intra-Yemeni peace talks, and the changing dynamics in Iraq and Lebanon, have made the sectarian divide much less salient. Toby Matthiesen, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2024 But the colorful biography omitted a salient detail: the thousands of dollars that Quinn and Cahill had paid to Taiga and others. Jesse Barron, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024
Noun
Many Black intellectuals and activists fled KwaZulu, the collection of 40 tribal homelands scattered across the former Natal Province on South Africa’s southeast salient. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2023 Many Black intellectuals and activists fled KwaZulu, the collection of 40 tribal homelands scattered across the former Natal province on South Africa’s southeast salient. Robert D. McFadden, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023 Russian forces struck and immobilized a British tank supplied to Ukrainian forces for the first time as Kyiv pushes some of its best equipment into a salient in the southeast in search of a breakthrough. Isabel Coles, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2023 End of carousel Astrologers say the field has surged in popularity for several reasons, the most salient of which is better accessibility through technology. Sydney Page, Washington Post, 13 June 2023 But the Russian assault on the Severodonetsk salient may have come at a cost to the wider campaign. David Axe, Forbes, 28 May 2022 Of the accusations against her, one of the most salient was by a neighbor with whom her family had a property dispute. Silvia Federici, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2023 The overturning of Roe v. Wade has made these factors all the more salient. Elliot Haspel, Washington Post, 30 June 2022 In any case, there’s a salient unifying critique that can be discerned from all the grumbles about Cooper’s interview and the podcast’s post-Spotify deal trajectory more broadly. Vulture, 21 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'salient.' 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

Latin salient-, saliens, present participle of salire to leap — more at sally

First Known Use

Adjective

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of salient was in 1646

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near salient

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

salient

adjective
sa·​lient
ˈsā-lyənt,
ˈsā-lē-ənt
1
: sticking outward
a salient angle
2
: very important or noticeable
saliently adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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