Poignant vs Salient - What's the difference?
poignant | salient |
(obsolete, of a weapon etc) Sharp-pointed; keen.
* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , VII:
Incisive; penetrating.
neat; eloquent; applicable; relevant.
Evoking strong mental sensation, to the point of distress; emotionally moving.
(figuratively, of a taste or smell) Piquant, pungent.
Piercing.
(dated, mostly British) Inducing sharp physical pain.
Worthy of note; pertinent or relevant.
Prominent; conspicuous.
* Bancroft
(heraldry, usually of a quadruped) Depicted in a leaping posture.
Projecting outwards, pointing outwards.
(obsolete) Moving by leaps or springs; jumping.
* Sir Thomas Browne
(obsolete) Shooting out up; springing; projecting.
* Burke
(military) an outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense
As adjectives the difference between poignant and salient
is that poignant is sharp-pointed; keen while salient is worthy of note; pertinent or relevant.As a noun salient is
an outwardly projecting part of a fortification, trench system, or line of defense.poignant
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- His siluer shield, now idle maisterlesse; / His poynant speare, that many made to bleed [...].
- His comments were poignant and witty.
- A poignant reply will garner more credence than hours of blown smoke.
- Flipping through his high school yearbook evoked many a poignant memory of yesteryear.
Synonyms
* (evoking strong mental sensation) distressing, movingReferences
* OED 2nd edition 1989 * Webster Third New International 1986 ----salient
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- The article is not exhaustive, but it covers the salient points pretty well.
- He [Grenville] had neither salient traits, nor general comprehensiveness of mind.
- a lion salient
- a salient angle
- frogs and salient animals
- He had in himself a salient , living spring of generous and manly action.