riant

[rahy-uh nt, ree-; French ryahn]

adjective

laughing; smiling; cheerful.

Origin of riant

1560–70; < French, present participle of rire to laugh ≪ Latin rīdēre; see -ant

Related formsri·ant·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for riant

Historical Examples of riant

Its spreading, riant beauty is hidden behind that little cliff.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
The scene was rich and riant, the evening lovely, and the wine good.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 58, Number 360, October 1845
Various
Everything is riant, stirring, singing, in the world that I behold from my balcony.
The Joy of Captain Ribot
Armando Palacio Valds
Contrary, kon′tra-ri, adj. opposite: contradictory—Contra′riant (rare).
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)
Various
Here in the riant and overflowing opulence of July, time without love's companionship was time wasted.
Rose of Dutcher's Coolly
Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for riant

riant

adjective

rare laughing; smiling; cheerful

Derived Formsriantly, adverb

Word Origin for riant

C16: from French, from rire to laugh, from Latin rīdēre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012