Salient: meaning, example and synonyms
Salientadj. Most noticeable or important; standing out.
Example
The most salient feature of the region's architecture is its local red sandstone, which gives entire villages a uniform rosy hue.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- prominent, conspicuous, striking, notable
- Antonyms
- minor, inconspicuous, unremarkable, insignificant
- Memory tip
- Latin salire = "to leap": a salient point leaps out at you.
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Check yourself: Salient in context
The briefing summarized only the ______ points of the two-hundred-page report, so that the minister could grasp its main conclusions in ten minutes.
Answer: salient. A short briefing covers the most important points: salient. Innocuous, earnest and convoluted points wouldn't capture the main conclusions.
In portraits from the period, the most ______ feature is often the sitter's elaborate collar, which draws the eye before the face does.
Answer: salient. A feature that draws the eye first is the most noticeable: salient. Innocuous, earnest and material don't mean standing out to the eye.