salient

American  

[sey-lee-uhnt, seyl-yuhnt] / ˈseɪ li ənt, ˈseɪl yənt /

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

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

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

Etymology

Origin of salient

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

Example Sentences

But the newly salient issue is rising electricity rates.

From The Wall Street Journal

Domestication syndrome - anatomical and morphological changes such as curly tails, floppy ears, depigmentation, smaller brains and reduced facial skeletons - are commonly cited as some of the most salient traits, the study says.

From BBC

Specifically, Lawrence pointed to the issue of data center construction, which has become increasingly salient around the United States as artificial intelligence companies push to build power-hungry facilities to power their large language models.

From Salon

In the end, though, senior officials agreed that the arguments for a quarter-point cut “were considered more salient.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The more salient fact about the natcons is that most do not understand the U.S. as a nation founded on the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arresting
• conspicuous
• pertinent
• weighty