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
White’s initial job in the hour was to act as a deadpan, barely-interested-looking foil to Colbert.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 23 May 2026
Jack White served as the show’s deadpan musical director, cueing music off a boombox and joking with Colbert during the hour-long episode.
—Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 23 May 2026
His deadpan humor comes through most brilliantly in Game Boy Tetris (2013–19), a parody of the logic of optimization that underpins capitalist culture.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
And Lemisch’s deadpan museum — along with the delighted public response to it — was very much a part of it.
—New York Times, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadpan
Chris Willman, Variety, 23 May 2026
Jack White served as the show’s deadpan musical director, cueing music off a boombox and joking with Colbert during the hour-long episode.
—Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 23 May 2026
His deadpan humor comes through most brilliantly in Game Boy Tetris (2013–19), a parody of the logic of optimization that underpins capitalist culture.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
And Lemisch’s deadpan museum — along with the delighted public response to it — was very much a part of it.
—New York Times, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for deadpan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadpan
Adjective
-
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Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight assessment indicated that only three blank sailings have been announced on the Asia-to-Europe trade route this week, indicating higher capacity deployment to accommodate peak season cargo.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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The 47-year-old, wearing a blue suit and blue tie, was expressionless as the charges against him were described.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
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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
Adjective
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Herzog, known for his enigmatic films and single-minded commitment to achieving the impossible (pulling a boat over a mountain, for one) found a worthy artistic partner in the square-jawed, demonically charming, bug-eyed Klaus Kinski.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 May 2026
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In a three-and-a-half-hour duel, with all the bizarre twists, dips and flips that Medvedev’s opening matches at Roland Garros are famous for, Walton registered a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 win with a scoreline as enigmatic as the man who landed on the short end of it.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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Unlike the coolly impassive Pop artists, the Who weren’t afraid to get personal, or to let their art echo the anxious, kinky, maladjusted yammering in their own heads.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Her face remained impassive even as tears formed and began to travel down her cheek.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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But the picture also feels stolid and one note.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 May 2026
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At the end of the eighteenth century, the West’s power brokers, eager to exude stolid republican virtue, abjured decoration and ornament, sparking what the British psychologist John Flügel called the Great Masculine Renunciation.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadpan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadpan. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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