STRAIGHT-FACED Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

straight-faced

adjective

as in deadpan

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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 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

Johnson, who a near decade ago was a bubbly ingenue on the brink of superstardom, has since developed a reputation for a certain cool-girl deadpan opacity, a kind of mischievous remove during press appearances.

— Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026
The movie is deadpan-funny but also shares the sisters’ romantic conviction that the world could reveal something truly wondrous.

— Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 18 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

Webflow's free templates are visually bland, so the premium templates are basically required to build an attractive site.

— Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Roasting brings out its sweetness and adds depth, transforming it from bland to rich and slightly caramelized.

— Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of bland

Adjective

Lastly, fourth place was awarded to Six Flags Qiddiya City’s Colossus ride — a hybrid wooden coaster that also made its debut when the park opened at the end of 2025.

— Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Behind it, just beyond the tree’s tallest branches, is what looks like a backyard cafe with a large patio umbrella and homemade wooden furniture.

— Lauren Ng, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of wooden

Adjective

Lizzie and Bridget’s Relationship in Monster The show quickly portrays a dynamic between Lizzie and Bridget, with Bridget’s brash, uninhibited manner drawing out the more reserved and stoic Lizzie.

— Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
At her trial, her stoic demeanor and shifting testimonies were nearly her ruin.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 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