Standard Lemma guide

salience

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈseɪ.li.əns/
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: [ˈseɪ̯.li.əns]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈsæɪ.li.əns/
  • Australian, New-Zealand: [ˈsæɪ̯.li.əns]

1

noun

Meaning 1

The condition of being salient.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Relative importance based on context.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences, social-science, social-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the state of being salient

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: saliency, strikingness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: prominence

Narrower terms: conspicuousness, visibility, profile

History

Etymology

From Latin saliēns, salientis (whence -ence), from saliō.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: изпъкналост (izpǎknalost) — condition of being salient
  • Dutch: opmerkelijke — condition of being salient
  • Dutch: karakteristieke — condition of being salient
  • Finnish: keskisyys — condition of being salient
  • Finnish: tärkeys — condition of being salient
  • Finnish: huomattavuus — condition of being salient
  • French: saillance — condition of being salient
  • French: (psychologie sociale) prégnance — condition of being salient
  • German: Hervorspringen — condition of being salient
  • German: Hervortreten — condition of being salient
  • Ido: centreso — condition of being salient
  • Polish: istotność — condition of being salient
  • Polish: ważność — condition of being salient
  • Spanish: saliencia — condition of being salient
  • Turkish: dikkati çekme — condition of being salient
  • Turkish: göze çarpma — condition of being salient
  • Turkish: atlama — condition of being salient
  • Bulgarian: изтъкнатост (iztǎknatost) — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • Dutch: blikvanger — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • Dutch: hoogtepunt — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • French: saillance — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • German: perzeptuelle Prominenz — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • German: Salienz — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • Persian: برجستگی (barjastegi) — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • Polish: wyrazistość — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • Spanish: saliencia — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • Turkish: belirginlik — highlight; perceptual prominence, or likelihood of being noticed
  • Dutch: gewicht — relative importance based on context
  • French: saillance — relative importance based on context
  • Polish: istotność — relative importance based on context
  • Polish: ważność — relative importance based on context
  • Spanish: saliencia — relative importance based on context