Definition of SALIENT

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Adjective

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

Did You Know?

Adjective

Salient first popped up in English in the mid-17th century, and in its earliest English uses meant "moving by leaps or springs" (as in "a salient cheetah") or "spouting forth" (as in "a salient fountain"). Those senses aren't too much of a jump from the word's parent, the Latin verb salire, which means "to leap." Salire has leaped into many English words; it's also an ancestor of somersault and sally, as well as Salientia, the name for an order of amphibians that includes frogs, toads, and other notable jumpers. Today, salient is usually used to describe things that are physically prominent (such as a salient nose) or that stand out figuratively (such as the salient features of a painting).

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 Though the models were made nearly a hundred years ago, the theme is as salient as ever. — Myles Karp, National Geographic, "Rotting-fruit art points up plants in peril," 27 Dec. 2019 The people of Montfermeil are no less blank slates adorned with dramatically salient traits than are the police officers. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "The Urgent But Stilted “Les Misérables”," 22 Jan. 2020 House Democrats rushed through the investigation, forgoing salient witnesses and evidence, because of the political calendar. — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "Postpone the Impeachment Trial Until the House Finishes Investigating," 15 Jan. 2020 If salience is so important in driving sales, how does one make salient advertising? — Sudhir Sitapati, Quartz India, "Hindustan Unilever’s advertising approach is a life skill worth acquiring," 6 Jan. 2020 The torrent of videos and other graphic depictions of police violence targeting Black women and girls clearly shows something salient at work that does involve the psychology of masculinity. — Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic, "Naming the Threat," 2 Jan. 2020 The structured visual language of comics offers salient and reliable cues about what information is both important and relevant. — Mary Widdicks, Quartz, "The visual language of comic books can improve brain function," 2 Jan. 2020 The sticker-extracting behavior occurred only when the bird could see a salient mark on her plumage in the mirror. — Onur Güntürkün, Scientific American, "“Birdbrain” Turns from Insult to Praise," 1 Jan. 2020 Expect arguments over college costs to become even more politically salient as the presidential race speeds ahead in 2020. — New York Times, "Cheating Scandals, Charters and Falling Test Scores: 5 Takeaways From the Year in Education," 28 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun As salient was the ability of a force purported to include dozens of drones and cruise missiles to evade air-defense systems in eastern Saudi Arabia near Bahrain. — Seth J. Frantzman, National Review, "The Attack on Saudi Arabia Is the Crisis Iran Was Waiting For," 17 Sep. 2019 Health care dominates the race between Messrs. MacArthur and Kim, but the state’s high property taxes make tax policy salient too. — Richard Rubin, WSJ, "Some GOP Lawmakers Reckon With Their Tax Vote Record," 1 Nov. 2018 The challenge for Democrats has been keeping health care salient. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "How Democrats Plan to Turn Kennedy’s Retirement Into a Political Win," 3 July 2018 The walls of the Hall of Memory are inscribed with the names of 54,896 British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in the Ypres salient before 16 August 1917. — Smithsonian, "World War I Cemeteries & Memorials Around the World," 26 May 2017 The walls of the Hall of Memory are inscribed with the names of 54,896 British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in the Ypres salient before 16 August 1917. — Smithsonian, "World War I Cemeteries & Memorials Around the World," 26 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'salient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.