as in deadpan
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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
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
-
Al Bello / Getty Images Some fans noted that David, known for his usually deadpan demeanor, was particularly emotional during the game and after the win.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
But Hyd unsettles this arrangement with their deadpan affect, playing the part of a mourning truth-seeker trying to live in the moment.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
2 June 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
-
The Flaws has a touch of Severance with its bland office setting and humor overlayed with symbolism but Reiber preferred to cite older influences.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
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Has Cannes gone soft or have the movies become bland?—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The listing includes a barn and a 2,400-square-foot insulated shop geared toward car, boat or RV storage — a nod to the owners’ hobbies, including vintage wooden boats, according to background and the agent.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
-
From the kitchen, a wooden barn-style sliding door leads to the bathroom.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
The previously stoic pope is drawing huge crowds and seems to be making a star turn, enthralling the faithful with emotive assurance.—
Anthony Faiola,
Washington Post,
7 June 2026
-
Golf is a game that can bring out a wide array of emotions from even the most stoic of competitors.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 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
-
Analysts have noted that retail investors could be causing some of the weakness in chips by freeing up dry powder in preparation for the blockbuster IPO – though Bank of America noted that last week’s sell-off was driven by big institutional money.—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
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In the confusion, Paula is able to subdue Sky by nailing his hand to the ground and then sprays Ashley in the face with the dry shampoo before fleeing the scene.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
But the picture also feels stolid and one note.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 May 2026
-
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
“Straight-faced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straight-faced. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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