Salient

adjective; also noun (chiefly military/geometry)

/ˈseɪliənt/

Most noticeable or important; standing out conspicuously and demanding attention. In formal prose it describes the prominent, central features of an argument or issue (e.g., "the salient points of the policy").

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

In evaluating the new agricultural policy, the committee chose to foreground the most salient concern — farmer indebtedness — rather than dissipate its attention across peripheral procedural details.

Synonyms

prominentconspicuousstrikingnotablepronouncedoutstanding

Antonyms

inconspicuousinsignificantnegligibleunremarkable

🌱 Word Family

salience (n), saliency (n), saliently (adv), salientian (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin saliens = leaping, springing, present participle of salire = to leap; "salient point" calqued from Latin punctum saliens

📜 Etymology

From Latin salientem (nominative saliens), present participle of salire "to leap, spring." The "prominent/pertinent" sense derives from the phrase "salient point," a calque of Latin punctum saliens.

🧠 Memory Hook

Root "salire" = to leap (think "sally forth"). A salient point literally "leaps out" at you, demanding notice.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Mains 2024 · GS3 · 10 marks — Science and Technology
Mains 2021 · GS3 · 10 marks — Disaster Management
Mains 2021 · GS3 · 15 marks — Agriculture
Mains 2020 · GS3 · 10 marks — Environment and Ecology

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Salient” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution

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