The Meaning of Pertinent: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of pertinent? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word pertinent, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word pertinent mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word pertinent is an adjective that means related to or relevant to a particular topic. Something that is pertinent has a logical connection or logical relevance to a certain subject. Pertinent is three syllables – per-ti-nent, and the pronunciation of pertinent is ˈpɜrtənənt. The word pertinent is related to the word pertain, which means to relate to. The word pertain is a verb.

Many different languages also use their own terms that mean pertinent (ˈpɜːtɪnənt). You may notice that some of these translations of pertinent from Word Sense look and sound similar to the word pertinent. These are called cognates, which are formed when two words of different languages have the same language of origin or root. See if you can tell which of these translations have the same root or language of origin by how they look and are spelled!

  •  Finnish: osuva‎, relevantti‎, olennainen‎
  •  Italian: pertinente‎
  •  Bulgarian: уместен, подходящ‎
  •  Russian: отсносящийся‎, принадлежащий‎
  •  Czech: odpovídající‎, relevantní‎, vztahující se‎, příslušný‎, patřičný‎ (masc.), vhodný‎ (masc.)
  •  Hungarian: illő‎, találó‎
  •  Greek: σχετικός‎, συναφής με ένα θέμα‎
  •  Japanese: 当てはまる‎ (Atehamaru)
  •  Manx: bentynagh‎
  •  Spanish: atinado‎, pertinente‎
  •  Swedish: relevant‎, tillämplig‎
  •  German: angemessen‎
  •  Portuguese: pertinente‎ (masc.)
  •  French: pertinent‎

What are synonyms and antonyms of pertinent?

There are many different words that can be used in place of the word pertinent. These words are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another given word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself in written and spoken English. This list of synonyms for the word pertinent is provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  ad rem
  •  fittest
  •  good
  •  relevance
  •  convenient
  •  in a nutshell
  •  salient
  •  weighty
  •  admissible
  •  harmonious
  •  appropriate
  •  correct
  •  seasonable
  •  important
  •  respective
  •  the point
  •  the purpose
  •  expedient
  •  crucial
  •  cogent
  •  essential
  •  well timed
  •  pivotal
  •  due
  •  of that ilk
  •  befitting
  •  irrelevant
  •  valid
  •  right
  •  significant
  •  applicable
  •  accurate
  •  adequate
  •  requisite
  •  analogous
  •  fitting
  •  compelling
  •  material
  •  useful
  •  suitable
  •  suited
  •  right to it
  •  critical
  •  apt
  •  interdependent
  •  fitter
  •  accurately
  •  linked
  •  interrelated
  •  operative
  •  allied
  •  proper
  •  applicatory
  •  pat
  •  apposite
  •  appurtenant
  •  short-and-sweet
  •  pointful
  •  apropos
  •  good enough
  •  necessary
  •  able
  •  meet
  •  point
  •  logical
  •  having to do with
  •  acceptable
  •  associated
  •  in point
  •  in touch with
  •  relatable
  •  affiliated
  •  not unlikely
  •  in the same category
  •  congruous
  •  associable
  •  seemly
  •  right-on
  •  adapted
  •  substantial
  •  calling a spade a spade
  •  akin
  •  interwoven
  •  felicitous
  •  fit
  •  vital
  •  central
  •  opportune
  •  becoming
  •  laid on the line
  •  connected
  •  reasonable
  •  related
  •  germane
  •  meaningful
  •  relative
  •  pertaining
  •  relevant
  •  knit together
  •  purpose

There are also plenty of different words that have the opposite meaning of pertinent. These opposite words are called antonyms, which are another great tool for expanding your English language vocabulary in a quick and easy way. This list of antonyms is also provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  insignificant
  •  inapplicable
  •  barred
  •  disorganized
  •  insubstantial
  •  auxiliary
  •  indecorous
  •  minor
  •  disallowed
  •  ancillary
  •  inconsiderable
  •  nasty
  •  disconnected from
  •  inconsequential
  •  unsuitable
  •  baneful
  •  incidental
  •  frivolous
  •  little
  •  dispensable
  •  malapropos
  •  examined separately
  •  extraneous
  •  unrelatable
  •  having nothing to do with
  •  conflicting
  •  unsustainable
  •  useless
  •  impertinent
  •  less important
  •  foreign
  •  inappropriate
  •  existing independently
  •  irrelevant
  •  completely separated from
  •  inapposite
  •  contradictory
  •  meaningless
  •  awkward
  •  needless
  •  detached from
  •  trivial
  •  moot point
  •  inapt
  •  disagreeable
  •  inessential
  •  immaterial
  •  inferior
  •  irrelative
  •  strange

What is the word origin of pertinent?

According to Etymonline, the word pertinent has been used since 14th century Middle English and comes from the Anglo-French purtinaunt, a c13 word related to the Old French partenant and Latin pertinentem, the nominative Latin pertinens/Latin pertinēns and the present participle of pertinere/present participle of pertinēre which is related to tenere. Related words include pertain (vb.) and pertinently (adv.) formed by adding the suffix ly. 

How can the word pertinent be used in a sentence?

The word pertinent can be used in numerous different sentences in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions so that you can incorporate them into your vocabulary. You can also try making flashcards or quizzes for yourself to test your knowledge of different terms. Try to use this new word of the day in a sentence today! It might become a new favorite word. Below are several examples of the word pertinent to help get you started. 

The attorney used pertinent details to request a serious alteration of the case. The jury agreed with the facts material presented in the particular case with decisive relevance. 

The list of articles cited in the bibliography and the evocative verbal images were pertinent to the paper on the histories of slavery and racism in the United States. The relaxation of official tone, however, made the professor at Princeton University lower his grade, which was an apt reply.

The successful copywriter understood the pertinence of cognitive sciences and logic to the concept of relevance in different fields, and used these different theories of knowledge in information science to write her content. 

The comments on Facebook and Twitter were not relevant to the language news, and were all misinterpreted with different implications. It is difficult to discern such extravagance of expression on the internet. 

It was a pertinent cause to know the type of car that would arrive for the takeout orders and curbside pickup so the orders go to the right person.

Overall, the word pertinent means related to or relevant to a particular topic or subject. This word is Latin in origin. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today!

Sources:

  1. pertinent: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  2. Pertinent synonyms – 885 Words and Phrases for Pertinent | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Pertinent antonyms – 234 Opposites of Pertinent | Power Thesaurus 
  4. pertinent | Origin and meaning of pertinent | Online Etymology Dictionary 
  5. Pertinent definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary