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

But acts like this work best when there’s a discernable back-and-forth—think Starlito’s deadpan baritone next to Don Trip’s sandpaper yawp, or Method Man’s sultry bruiser clearing the way for Redman’s scrappy smart-ass routine.

— Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2026
Serially deadpan comedian-filmmaker Fielder, meanwhile, has previously exerted pop-cultural thrall as the figurehead of HBO’s The Rehearsal and Comedy Central’s Nathan for You.

— Chris Lee, Vulture, 26 Oct. 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 few stations left play the same bland pop songs over and over.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
Honoring the sacrifices of America’s military men and women is noble, but there are better ways to thank them for their service than a bland tribute like this.

— Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of bland

Adjective

Some staircase windows were replaced with movable aluminum composite panels or wooden boards for workers' convenience, allowing smoke to infiltrate escape routes.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
In a back kitchen of a bagel shop on the outskirts of Toronto, Beth George is standing over a long wooden table assessing her materials with surgical precision.

— HubSpot, HubSpot, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of wooden

Adjective

It’s reflected in the visuals of the series, which are as unimaginative as the AI actor renders are dead and inexpressive even before they’re shot through with Tokugawa-era arrows.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of inexpressive

Adjective

Inland, Sidi Bouzid offers about 5 minutes, 33 seconds beneath typically dry skies, while the spectacular Roman amphitheater at El Jem gets 4 minutes, 23 seconds.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Fresco painting involves laying dry powdered pigment onto the wet plaster so that the pigment is absorbed into the plaster and becomes one with it.

— Artforum, Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of dry

Adjective

The trombonist Cutler is played by Terence Archie as stolid, unassuming and quietly in control.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 Oct. 2026
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