salient

American  

[say-lee-uhnt, sayl-yuhnt] / ˈseɪ li ənt, ˈseɪl jənt /

adjective

1. prominent or conspicuous.

   salient traits.

   Synonyms:

   remarkable, striking, important

   Antonyms:

   unimportant, inconspicuous

2. projecting or pointing outward.

   a salient angle.

3. leaping or jumping.

   a salient animal.

4. Heraldry. (of a beast) represented as leaping.

   a lion salient.

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noun

• salients
  plural

1. a salient angle or part, as the central outward-projecting angle of a bastion or an outward projection in a battle line.

2. Physical Geography. a landform that extends out beyond its surroundings, as a spur projecting from the side of a mountain.

salient British  

/ ˈseɪlɪənt /

adjective

1. prominent, conspicuous, or striking

   a salient feature

2. (esp in fortifications) projecting outwards at an angle of less than 180° Compare re-entrant

3. geometry (of an angle) pointing outwards from a polygon and hence less than 180° Compare re-entrant

4. (esp of animals) leaping

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noun

1. military a projection of the forward line into enemy-held territory

2. a salient angle

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• salience
  noun
• unsalient
  adjective
• saliently
  adverb
• unsaliently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• salients
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of salient

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin salient-, stem of saliēns “jumping,” present participle of salīre “to spring, jump”

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Explanation

If something stands out in a very obvious way, it can be called salient. It's time to find new friends if the differences between you and your current friends are becoming more and more salient. Salient, from the Latin verb salire, "to leap," was originally used in English to refer to leaping animals such as a frog or deer and may still be used this way. Often, however, it is used in math or geography to mean protruding. A salient angle juts outward rather than inward. Figuratively, it means noticeable or prominent. When giving an argument, make your most salient points at the beginning or the end.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

salient salients

There’s other data making a salient argument for hikes in October and December, said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist for Nationwide.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The second salient point to consider is that the play has virtually no basis in historical truth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

It eventually appeared in the paper but with many of the salient details left out.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Some, like the fifth installment, “Retribution” — which reorients the series to a much more salient, focused place — stand head and shoulders above others.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

It seemed to me that we were simply going over and over the same ground again; and so I took note of some salient point, and found that this was so.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

North of them, still fighting on the salients driven south and east from Lingayen Gulf and across the base of Bataan from Olongapo, were seven other divisions.

From Time Magazine Archive

Or he might have thought, not without satisfaction, of the banking career whose compact pattern knits these scattered salients.

From Time Magazine Archive

One of Chiang's armies had been cut off, and two others that tried to rescue it had exposed salients.

From Time Magazine Archive

Only half of the salients mapped during the summer by the House had been fought over by the Senate.

From Time Magazine Archive

He provides a very large re-entering place of arms, also with a keep, the ditches of which are carefully traced so as to be protected from enfilade by the salients of the ravelin and bastion.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6 "Foraminifera" to "Fox, Edward" by Various

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Related Words

• arresting
• conspicuous
• pertinent
• weighty

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