salient

adjective sa·lient \ ˈsā-lyənt , -lē-ənt \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of salient

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

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Examples of salient in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of salient from the Web

This would be some pretty salient Black Mirror-style warning about technology and bad social systems if it was just left there.

— alissa wilkinson, Vox, "Ready Player One is a fun romp that’s even more dystopian than it realizes," 29 Mar. 2018
According to surveys one of us (Mueller) conducted of Niamey residents in 2011, pocketbook concerns were the most salient grievances in uprisings that precipitated a 2010 coup against President Mamadou Tandja.

— lisa mueller, Washington Post, "Niger’s protests are ramping up. Here’s why.," 26 Mar. 2018
Acting on instinct as much as anything else, the president is now exploiting the instability and confusion to neutralize threats to his power, the most salient of which, in the short term, is the investigation by Robert Mueller III.

— Anchorage Daily News, "A nightmare for a democracy," 8 Feb. 2018
Illinois also marked the latest test of strength for one of 2018’s most salient political forces: women, who are running for Congress in record numbers this year.

— janet hook, WSJ, "Centrist Incumbents Tested in Illinois Primaries," 20 Mar. 2018
Instead of trying to beat the GOP at its culture war game, Lamb worked to make bread-and-butter issues more salient – and succeeded, thanks, in no small part, to the aid of the labor movement.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "5 Lessons From the Pennsylvania Special Election," 14 Mar. 2018
In addition to these accomplishments, however, there’s also the salient fact that Black Panther successfully gives female characters depth and range on the same level of its male heroes and villains.

— alexis nedd, Cosmopolitan, "Black Panther Is a Huge Win for Women," 20 Feb. 2018
But the political reality is that migration has become a salient issue — and not only for right-wing, populist and nativist politicians.

— patrick kingsley, New York Times, "Trump’s Immigration Remarks Outrage Many, but Others Quietly Agree," 12 Jan. 2018
Actually, the cultural advantages are so salient that the importance of crass influence is diminishing.

— george will, National Review, "How Merit-Based College Admissions Became So Unfair," 10 Jan. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of salient

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

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First Known Use: 1646

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

salient

noun sa·lient \ ˈsā-lyənt , -lē-ənt \

Definition of salient

: 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

Examples of salient in a Sentence

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 of salient from the Web

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