STRAIGHT-FACED Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

straight-faced

adjective

as in deadpan

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Recent Examples of straight-faced The clip began with a makeup-free Giudice sitting in the glam chair and gazing straight-faced into the camera while Reyna sized up the shot. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026 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

Nathan Fielder may well have the best deadpan shtick since Buster Keaton.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Related On Chicken Shop Date, the English comedian sits down with celebrities for awkward, deadpan dates at chicken shops.

— Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of deadpan

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

Definition of expressionless

Adjective

The high-wire act that followed—in which performers had to make these bland conceits into something funny without, ostensibly, preparing any jokes in advance—introduced a tension that made sketch shows feel sedate and uneven by comparison.

— Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
The rising cost of these licenses has also led to the mass production of bland designs.

— Matt Martell, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of bland

Adjective

The village built on the Luna Rossa base’s docks — its metallic structure wrapped externally in reflective foil — is an immersive, low-light space with modular wooden and aluminum displays intended for flexibility.

— Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
The wooden wall and boardwalk are the homes’ last line of defense.

— N. Kirkpatrick, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of wooden

Adjective

Historically, being a strong leader meant being invulnerable and stoic—showing no signs of weakness.

— Krishna Savani, Harvard Business Review, 12 Oct. 2026
After the blinding start to a decisive Game 3 against the Las Vegas Aces, after the crawl through quicksand for the rest of it, after the bloody lip and a stoic walk off the floor while cannons spit celebratory smoke into the air.

— Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of stoic

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

Definition of inexpressive

Adjective

Although the region got some rain Sunday and Monday, most of it fell in areas south of Los Angeles County, leaving Los Angeles and Ventura counties very dry.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Combine turkey stock or chicken broth and dry red wine in a large glass measuring cup.

— Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of dry

Adjective

Meanwhile, Leigh—intellectual, magnetic, and capricious—went to finishing school before marrying a stolid, stable lawyer named Herbert Leigh Holman in 1932.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
Leading the prosecution were Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham, a pair of stolid assistant district attorneys in structured suits and dark rectangular glasses.

— Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026