straight-faced

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of straight-faced Mamdani emerged from this shroud of mystery triumphant, posting a photograph on X of himself, firmly straight-faced, standing alongside the grinning President. Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026 The bill is presented, straight-faced, as securing election integrity. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026 To which Liu responded, straight-faced and finally dead serious. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026 But the rest of the movie is straight-faced, as though its story of two reckless sociopaths vying to destroy the world in their respective modes weren’t appallingly depressing. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straight-faced
Adjective
  • Young Carlisle’s deadpan delivery really makes moments like this sing.
    Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
  • Socially awkward characters offer an opportunity for dry humor and deadpan prose.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • The routine calls for this chic, almost expressionless vibe — very different from a typical K-pop performance.
    Billboard Korea, Billboard, 26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • In most cases, these signs resolve after 24 to 48 hours with a bland diet.
    Jane Sykes, Washington Post, 21 July 2026
  • Like most meat-grinder, non-auteur streaming originals, The Dink — named for an often-decisive drop shot — has the bland sheen of an insurance commercial.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Adjective
  • The White man with the wooden cross was Joseph Colt Hamrick, a roofer in Macon, Georgia, and a father of two children.
    John Blake, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • Hunte himself is a big draw; he's often reclined on the balcony of his wooden plantation house, plying guests with his own brand of rum—not for the faint of heart.
    Jonnie Bayfield, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026
Adjective
  • Her unvarnished, heartsore turn as a woman unprepared to be the face of a movement, but shouldering that responsibility anyway, gives this otherwise stoic affair a nervy, sensitive spine.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 July 2026
  • But the action is nullified by the fact that Ono assumes the stoic posture of the Buddhist monks seen in the news at the time setting themselves aflame in protest of the Vietnam War.
    Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
Adjective
  • That virtue is undermined here by leads with minimal chemistry, one of them inexpressive and the other archly theatrical, by design if not to rewarding effect.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2026
  • Moments of physical intimacy between his protagonists are often relayed in rigid and frustratingly inexpressive language, which occasionally veers into the tiringly smutty.
    Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Source for add-on acquisitions comprising 75%+ of total buyout activity and PE dry powder figures.
    Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The fabric also has a spill-resistant treatment that keeps liquid on the surface long enough to blot with a dry cloth.
    Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026
Adjective
  • Many Labour members hope Burnham’s people skills and charisma can connect with the public more than the stolid, managerial Starmer could ever do.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 June 2026
  • Many Labor members hope Burnham’s people skills and charisma can connect with the public more than the stolid, managerial Starmer could ever do.
    Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Straight-faced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straight-faced. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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