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
Tony Gibbs
saliently
adverb
: 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.
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
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
Brenda Abdilla, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Molo missing a deadline is a salient fact in this situation.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 June 2025
David Axe, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Russia’s assaults on the Kursk salient had been intensifying for the past few weeks but reached a fever pitch on Sunday.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for salient
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Adjective
One of the most salient points of his book is that work is not family.
—Brenda Abdilla, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Molo missing a deadline is a salient fact in this situation.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 June 2025
Noun
At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky still hoped to trade the Kursk salient back to Russia during possible future ceasefire negotiations.
—David Axe, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
Russia’s assaults on the Kursk salient had been intensifying for the past few weeks but reached a fever pitch on Sunday.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for salient
Cite this Entry
“Salient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salient. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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