lisse
/lis/
The English word 'smooth' is translated into French as lisse.
lisse is used to describe a surface that is lacking friction and is not rough. While lisse refers to a smooth surface, other words are used for different contexts: use doux when referring to a smooth fabric, poli to describe smooth or refined manners and skills and sans accroc to describe a process or experience that is smooth and uninterrupted. To describe a smooth ride, you can use the phrase confortable et sans secousses. The related verb lisser means to make something smooth or, in statistics, to capture important patterns in data while leaving out noise. The noun lissage refers to the act of smoothing or hair straightening.
Meaning: lacking friction, not rough (adj)
Which one should you use?
The adjective lisse is the opposite of rugueux, which means rough. Use lisse for physical surfaces, while using poli for social refinement and sans accroc for seamless processes.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective lisse is the same for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. To form the plural, add an -s to get lisses.
How do you pronounce it?
/lis/
Did you know?
- French distinguishes between a surface that is smooth to the touch lisse and a voice that is smooth or melodic, for which suave or mélodieux is preferred.
- The phrase sans accroc describes a smooth process and literally translates to 'without a snag' or 'without a tear' in fabric.
- While lisse describes a smooth texture, the word doux is used for smoothness that feels pleasant to the touch, such as silk or velvet, and also means 'sweet' when describing tastes.
Examples in context
- Ses jambes sont lisses.His legs are smooth.This sentence uses lisse to describe legs.Tatoeba #754279 by Julien_PDC, translation #11174146 by SunnyMoon
- Le cube vert est lisse.The green cube is smooth.This sentence uses lisse to describe a green cube.Tatoeba #8646399 by Aiji, translation #6030250 by AlanF_US
- Sa peau est parfaitement lisse.Her skin is perfectly smooth.This sentence uses lisse to describe skin.Tatoeba #2135701 by sacredceltic, translation #1526106 by Spamster
- Son français est fluideHis French is fluent
- Ses manières sont poliesHis manners are polished
- La transition s'est faite sans accrocThe transition was seamless
- Elle danse avec une grâce sans effortShe dances with effortless grace
- Ce tissu est doux comme de la soieThis fabric is silk-like
- Le trajet s'est passé sympa et fluideThe journey went nice and smooth
- La peau de bébé est lisseBaby's skin is smooth
- Ce véhicule offre une conduite confortable et sans secoussesThis vehicle provides a smooth and comfortable ride
- Ce tissu est doux au toucherThis fabric is smooth to the touch
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are looking at a new piece of furniture.
- ChloéRegarde, le bois est vraiment lisse.Look, the wood is really smooth.
- HugoOui, c'est très agréable au toucher.Yes, it's very pleasant to the touch.
- ChloéEst-ce que la surface reste lisse ?Does the surface stay smooth?
- HugoOui, Hugo pense que c'est de la qualité.Yes, Hugo thinks it is high quality.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smooth” translations and entries lisse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
