What does "salient" mean?
An outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense.
Salient
/ˈseɪ.li.ənt/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense.
- Grammar: salient is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: outstanding, prominent, air space, airspace.
- Useful contrasts: inset, insignificance, insignificant.
- Usage evidence: Unfortunately, munificence is not one of the salient features of my husband.
How to use "salient"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "salient" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "salient" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "salient" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "salient" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "salient" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "outstanding" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "salient", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense.
"On April 26 the First Division had gone into the line in the Montdidier salient on the Picardy battlefront."
- 2 (military) the part of the line of battle that projects closest to the enemy wordnet
- 3 A protrusion of the administrative borders of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state into another geopolitical entity, generally of the same administrative level.
- 4 An overall-convex, protruding section of a sinuous fold and thrust belt, thrust sheet, or a single thrust fault, caused by one or more of: deformation (folding and faulting) of strata and geologic structures during orogenesis, differences in the angle of critical taper during orogenesis, or differing erosional level of the present geomorphological surface.
"Orogenic arcs are made up by more advanced segments (salients) separated by less advanced zones (recesses) (Miser, 1932). Within salients, the critical taper is lower, the distance among thrust ramps is larger, and there may be more ramps departing from the basal décollement layer with respect to the recess areas."
Adjective
- 1 Worthy of note; pertinent or relevant.
"The article is not exhaustive, but it covers the salient points pretty well."
- 2 Prominent; conspicuous.
"Warning me that many of the street signs were down, the youth drew for my benefit a rough but ample and painstaking sketch map of the town's salient features."
- 3 Depicted in a leaping posture. usually
"a lion salient"
- 4 Projecting outwards, pointing outwards. often
"a salient angle"
- 5 Moving by leaps or springs; jumping. obsolete
"frogs and salient animals"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Shooting or springing out; projecting. obsolete
"He had in himſelf a ſalient, living ſpring of generous and manly action."
- 7 Denoting any angle less than two right angles.
Adjective
- 1 having a quality that thrusts itself into attention wordnet
- 2 represented as leaping (rampant but leaning forward) wordnet
- 3 (of angles) pointing outward at an angle of less than 180 degrees wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Unfortunately, munificence is not one of the salient features of my husband."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "salient"?
Common synonyms include: outstanding, prominent, air space, airspace, area, arrant.
How do you use "salient" in a sentence?
Unfortunately, munificence is not one of the salient features of my husband.
How do you pronounce "salient"?
Pronounced /ˈseɪ.li.ənt/.
Etymology
The heraldic sense “leaping” and the sense “projecting outward” are borrowed from Latin salientem, the accusative form of saliēns (“springing, leaping”), present participle of saliō (“leap, spring”, verb). The senses “prominent” and “pertinent” are relatively recent, and derive from the phrase salient point, which is a calque of the Latin punctum saliēns, a translation of Aristotle's term for the embryonal heart visible in (opened) eggs, which he thought seemed to move already. Compare also the German calque der springende Punkt.