salient
salient — adjective
- salientpositive
- more salientcomparative
- most salientsuperlative
1. used to describe the features, facts, or details of something that stand out as
used to describe the features, facts, or details of something that stand out as the most important or the most likely to be noticed
Sivan's presentation covered the salient points of the company's new marketing strategy.
salient points — collocation for key ideas
One salient feature of this laptop is its weight — it is light to carry daily.
salient feature + explanatory clause using dash
The report highlighted several salient facts about rising urban temperatures over the past decade.
Constanza asked her students to identify the most salient differences between the two poems.
Among all the proposals, the most salient issue was the cost of materials.
- prominent
Both describe something that stands out; 'prominent' is broader and can describe physical height or social importance
- notable
Focuses on being worthy of attention or memory, slightly less emphatic than 'salient'
- striking
Stronger emotional impact — something that is not just noticeable but surprising or impressive
- inconspicuous
Describes something that does not attract attention
- insignificant
Describes something that is not important enough to be noticed
文法句型
salient + noun
salient feature / point / fact / aspect / difference
用法筆記
Salient almost always appears before a noun (e.g., salient points, salient features). It is less common in predicate position (e.g., "The point was salient").
常見錯誤
2. describes something that sticks out or pushes outward from a surface, line, or l
describes something that sticks out or pushes outward from a surface, line, or level around it — for example, a rock that juts out from a cliff, or an angle that points outward rather than inward
The architect pointed out the salient angle where the old stone wall joined the roof.
salient angle — term in architecture and geometry
Geologists examined the salient rock formation that jutted out from the cliff face.
The castle had a salient tower that gave guards a view of the valley below.
In geometry class, Paul learned to tell the difference between salient and re-entrant angles.
- projecting
Nearly identical in meaning; 'projecting' is more common in modern technical writing
- protruding
Emphasises something that sticks out from a surface, often unexpectedly
- re-entrant
The technical opposite in geometry — an angle pointing inward rather than outward
文法句型
salient + noun
salient angle / corner / rock
用法筆記
This sense is primarily used in technical fields such as architecture, geometry, geology, and military science. Outside these domains, the 'most important' sense (adjective sense 1) is far more common.
常見錯誤
salient — noun
1. a section of land or a part of a structure that sticks out beyond the surroundin
a section of land or a part of a structure that sticks out beyond the surrounding area or surface — for example, a bulge in a battle line or a promontory along a coast
The army built a defensive position on a salient that overlooked the river valley.
military salient — outward bulge in a battle line
From the hill, the salient of the fortress wall was visible among the trees.
Xiu marked the salient where the border line pushed outward into the plains.
The eastern salient of the mountain range formed a natural lookout point.
- projection
A general term for anything that sticks out; 'projection' is more common in everyday language
- bulge
Describes a rounded outward shape, less precise than 'salient'
文法句型
the + salient
a + adjective + salient
military salient
用法筆記
As a noun, 'salient' is most often encountered in military geography (a bulge in a front line) and fortification architecture. It is uncommon in everyday conversation.