as in blank
not expressing any emotion
he delivered the joke in such a deadpan voice that we thought at first that he was serious
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deadpan
The mix of deadpan New Zealand humor and horror is a winning combo in this mockumentary about a vampire clan that later spawned an equally electric FX show of the same name.
—
Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Anderson’s dry, deadpan humor is a perfect match for Roald Dahl’s dark whimsy.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
Season three’s premiere reveals that in the years since high school, Rue has become a drug mule, running product across the Mexican-American border for her old drug dealer Laurie (the wonderfully deadpan Martha Kelly).
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 13 Apr. 2026
As deadpan delivery goes, Belichick always had a little Steven Wright in him.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadpan
Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Anderson’s dry, deadpan humor is a perfect match for Roald Dahl’s dark whimsy.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
Season three’s premiere reveals that in the years since high school, Rue has become a drug mule, running product across the Mexican-American border for her old drug dealer Laurie (the wonderfully deadpan Martha Kelly).
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 13 Apr. 2026
As deadpan delivery goes, Belichick always had a little Steven Wright in him.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadpan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadpan
Adjective
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The entire thing is a beautifully chaotic blank canvas for Sacramento’s music community to collaborate and mishmash within itself, to forge a platoon of one-off troupes and ramshackle supergroups — check out some prior videos on the event’s Instagram.—
Aaron Davis,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
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Her blank face fills the screen.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The routine calls for this chic, almost expressionless vibe — very different from a typical K-pop performance.—
Billboard Korea,
Billboard,
26 Nov. 2025
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Bale ran to the corner of the pitch, and, having been an expressionless bystander for much of the evening, shouted in ecstasy.—
Hua Hsu,
The New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2022
Adjective
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This elliptical, enigmatic sentence, with its palindromic form (not unlike that of the Heart Sutra), signals the main thrust of Pau’s work, which employs structures of looping, repetition, and recursion to explore the space of ambiguity and uncertainty.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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The enigmatic artist took credit for the work in a humorous video, posted to his Instagram page Thursday, which showed workers erecting the statue under the cover of night.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Bakri’s face is impassive and exhausted during this casual debasement, his voice low, and his tone deadpan, as though Salim has been forced to do all this a million times before.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
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Dressed in a blue sweatshirt and surrounded by court officers, Henderson remained impassive.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Kinlaw remained stolid throughout most of the public comment period and did not address calls for his resignation.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
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At the outset, Martin (William Giammona) is as stolid as a piece of furniture, standing stock still at center stage, the black rectangle through which the other actors enter and exit like a deep void behind him.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadpan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadpan. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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