impassive

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

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

Finally, to the north, there’s the impassive force of the Night’s King, who offers only the apocalypse, something more than a few bedraggled citizens of Westeros might welcome at this point.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Game of Thrones: No Choice At All," 14 Aug. 2017
Her friends—Schlöndorff among them—assure me that the impassive Merkel the public sees has a sly wit, and does pitch-perfect imitations of various world leaders: Al Gore, Sarkozy, Berlusconi, and, of course, Putin.

— kati marton, Vogue, "How Angela Merkel Became the Most Powerful Woman in the World," 18 July 2017
Frustration over the call caused Kreis to crack his typically impassive demeanor and call out the officials after the match.

— alicia delgallo, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando City falls 3-1 to Toronto FC," 5 July 2017
Mr. Trump, according to two people in his orbit, was preoccupied, uncharacteristically impassive but in generally decent spirits.

— glenn thrush and maggie haberman, New York Times, "‘I Was Right’: As Trump Watches Comey on TV, Anxiety Yields to Relief," 8 June 2017
There was the creepy, impassive gardener standing on the front lawn of one house, raking leaves and staring blankly at passersby, while upstairs at another home, a woman dressed as the movie’s maid coolly looked down.

— glenn whipp, latimes.com, "Too early to talk about the 2018 Oscars? Not if the movie is Jordan Peele's 'Get Out'," 10 May 2017
The coverage is being anchored from a raft on the Seine by two impassive, middle-aged Brits.

— Bloomberg.com, "At RT, News Breaks You," 4 May 2017
High school sophomore Alexis Law is an impassive Maretha, Berniece’s placid 11-year-old daughter.

— sam hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Review: August Wilson’s ghostly ‘Piano Lesson’ comes to Danville," 10 Feb. 2017
The standardized four-page checklist describes each Islamic State drone mission in chillingly impassive detail: Mission type (spy, bombing, training).

— eric schmitt, Orange County Register, "Papers show Islamic State’s grasp of drone weaponry," 1 Feb. 2017

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

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.