pertinent
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See apt.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pertinent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin pertinent- (stem of pertinēns ), present participle of pertinēre “to be applicable, pertain”; see pertain, -ent
Explanation
Something pertinent is relevant and on-point. If you give your best friend pertinent advice, that means the advice is appropriate for the situation. Something pertinent is related to the current topic or situation — and probably helpful too. If you're in math class and you make a comment about World War I, that's likely not pertinent. If you're in music class and you talk about a cello, that probably is pertinent. Pertinent things are appropriate and logical. In most situations, people like to get comments and questions that are pertinent — anything else can just seem like a distraction.
Vocabulary lists containing pertinent
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Grade 10, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Aside from its blockbuster spectacle, “Disclosure Day” is a pertinent reminder that, once we let go of our hope, it’s nearly impossible to get it back.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
Gather all the login credentials for your accounts, including banking and bills, as well as any other pertinent information someone might need to know to make sure everything is paid or transferred properly.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
But as the tide went out on tech stocks, the dot-com bubble bust soon after, and a series of major corporate governance scandals surfaced—Enron being the most prominent—my research felt pertinent again.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
But it is pertinent to say Berta's appointment was a necessity following Edu's decision to leave Arsenal in November 2024 to join Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis' stable of clubs.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
What is pertinent is the calmness of that beauty, its sense of restraint.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
