as in stoic
showing no emotion
He stood there stone-faced while the verdict was announced. a stone-faced judge
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Recent Examples of stone-faced
Stephen McCullagh sat stone-faced in Ireland’s Belfast Crown Court as a judge on Wednesday ordered him to spend a minimum of 31 years in prison for the slaying of Natalie McNally, the Guardian reported.
—
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
Recently, after a bad defeat, my happy-go-lucky son, Peter, ambled over to another player, who was stone-faced with frustration and shame.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 22 May 2026
Both were stone-faced when the jury’s verdicts were read, but afterward Rivera walked over to Nuhfer and gave her a hug at the defense table.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
As the others grinned and grimaced at their rivals’ responses, Becerra was as stone-faced as Buster Keaton.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Although the Marshallese players were mostly stone-faced, their eyes—briefly flitting over to the crowd and the many cameras that followed them onto the field—belied both their excitement and anxiety at the gravity of the moment.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Apr. 2026
Sitting stone-faced in the audience, Chalamet couldn’t help seeming more princely and entitled by comparison.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Most other Democrats sat stone-faced but some appeared upset or annoyed.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Holland remained stone-faced, listening.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026
Recently, after a bad defeat, my happy-go-lucky son, Peter, ambled over to another player, who was stone-faced with frustration and shame.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 22 May 2026
Both were stone-faced when the jury’s verdicts were read, but afterward Rivera walked over to Nuhfer and gave her a hug at the defense table.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
As the others grinned and grimaced at their rivals’ responses, Becerra was as stone-faced as Buster Keaton.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Although the Marshallese players were mostly stone-faced, their eyes—briefly flitting over to the crowd and the many cameras that followed them onto the field—belied both their excitement and anxiety at the gravity of the moment.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Apr. 2026
Sitting stone-faced in the audience, Chalamet couldn’t help seeming more princely and entitled by comparison.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Most other Democrats sat stone-faced but some appeared upset or annoyed.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Holland remained stone-faced, listening.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stone-faced
Adjective
-
His determination and stoic unflappability were always the difference.—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
15 June 2026
-
Refs opted to disregard the blatant flagrant foul and the usually stoic Brunson erupted, chasing after the officials before turning on his heel in a fury and returning to the bench.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Conversations with Chiarella helped Clausen nail down the technical elements of his performance, practicing disingenuous smiles and blank eyes.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
19 June 2026
-
That word is presented as a row of blank squares.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
That changed in 2018, when the Council passed Helen Rosenthal’s bill encouraging New Yorkers to report idling violations by requiring the city to publicize the process and pay them 25% of any collected fines for their efforts.—
Chris Hartmann,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
-
There is a music room with an upright piano, wind-up gramophone and the collected lyrics of Bob Dylan—a perfect touch for the pop star.—
Ruchira Sharma,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
While uniform cubes are suited for an elegant, composed presentation, torn croutons are a humble upgrade for nearly everything else where a little contrast is welcome.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
18 June 2026
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In contrast, composed framing of his loyal squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), underlines a different emotion.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
To alleviate some of the security concerns in metropolitan areas and calm citizens' fears, the United States housed prisoners in military installations and federal facilities throughout the South and Southwest.—
Helaine Williams,
Arkansas Online,
20 June 2026
-
Clark seized on a more gentle course — slightly calmer and still soft with receptive greens — by pulling away late to reach six-under-par through 16 holes.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
If a circle is empty, for example, players must learn to move their hands in the opposite direction to complete that task.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
No smoke wafting through the parking lots, which included multiple empty sections.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stone-faced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stone-faced. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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