riant

Riant is a French adjective meaning “smiling” or “cheerful,” used to describe faces, expressions, or scenes that convey brightness or merriment. In contemporary French it is more literary or poetic and is less common in casual speech, where words like souriant or heureux are often preferred. Riant can describe a visage, a regard, or a landscape, as in expressions such as un visage riant or un paysage riant, conveying a sense of pleasantness and light.

Etymology and forms: riant comes from the verb rire, “to laugh,” and is the present participle masculine singular. The feminine singular is ri ante, with plural forms riants (masculine) and riantes (feminine). The word is rarely used as a noun in modern usage; when it appears as a noun, it usually refers to the quality of being merry rather than to a person.

Usage notes: Riant tends to appear in descriptive writing, poetry, or classic prose, where it can evoke a gentle, enduring cheer rather than a burst of laughter. It often carries a slightly old-fashioned or rhetorical tone and can shade into poetic imagery. It is distinct from revitalized modern terms like souriant, which are more common in everyday language.

Translations: in English, riant is typically rendered as “smiling” or “cheerful,” depending on context.

See also: rire (to laugh), sourire (to smile), souriant (smiling), poétique (poetic language).