impassive

adjective im·pas·sive \ (ˌ)im-ˈpa-siv \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: impassive in a Sentence

Definition of impassive

1 a archaic : unsusceptible to pain

b : unsusceptible to physical feeling : insensible

c : unsusceptible to or destitute of emotion : apathetic

2 : giving no sign of feeling or emotion : expressionless

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impassively

adverb

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impassiveness

noun

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impassivity

play \ˌim-ˌpa-ˈsi-və-tē\ noun

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Examples of impassive in a Sentence

Her face remained impassive throughout the trial.
she remained impassive as the officers informed her of her son's death

Recent Examples of impassive from the Web

Smiling, sobbing, glamorous, haunted, impassive, enigmatic and -- in the end -- crushed.

— marc freeman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Appeals court again denies Dalia Dippolito's bid to leave prison during appeal," 4 June 2018
Mueller has remained an impassive cypher: the stoic, silent figure at the center of America’s political gyre.

— garrett m. graff, WIRED, "The Untold Story of Robert Mueller's Time in Combat," 15 May 2018
Williams is also not a natural on-screen talent, perhaps because her intensity and focus have long been channeled into an impassive game-face and a self-expression confined to hitting tennis balls.

— sonia saraiya, HWD, "We’ve Never Seen an Athlete’s Story Quite Like Serena Williams’ HBO Docuseries," 2 May 2018
Rodin obscures his mortal’s faces; Phidias’ goddesses have lost their heads which, judging from surviving pedimental heads, would have been impassive.

— dominic green, WSJ, "‘Rodin and the Art of Ancient Greece’ Review: Recasting History," 28 Apr. 2018
As Fallon tries unsuccessfully to get to the bottom of this most unusual of knowledge gaps, De Niro remains perfectly impassive — and very much in character as De Niro.

— raisa bruner, Time, "Robert De Niro Pretending Not to Know What Dogs Are Is the Highlight of His Acting Career," 17 Apr. 2018
In the experiment, the children sat in the laps of their silent and impassive mothers, who were blindfolded so the babies would not pick up on any unintentional facial clues.

— amy ellis nutt, Washington Post, "Can a 1-year-old reason like a scientist? Yes, new research concludes.," 17 Mar. 2018
To be sure, Thoroughbreds boasts an atmosphere so impassive that the film’s deadly Hitchcockian twists seem downright plausible.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Thoroughbreds Is a Slick, Shallow Murder Comedy," 9 Mar. 2018
The daze in which Marina seems trapped can feel impassive, even off-putting, until the viewer realizes how narrow her channels are for honesty and expression.

— ann hornaday, idahostatesman, "Oscar winner stars transgender actress | Idaho Statesman," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impassive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of impassive

1605

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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impassive Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of impassive

impassive, stoic, phlegmatic, apathetic, stolid mean unresponsive to something that might normally excite interest or emotion. impassive stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression.