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
-
With his signature deadpan humor, Waititi is referencing the book’s beautifully meditative quality.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
18 June 2026
-
Dippold is a veteran of Parks and Recreation, and Widow’s Bay features some excellent workplace comedy bits with deadpan performances from Kate O’Flynn, Dale Dickey, and Jeff Hiller.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 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
-
In addition, the vehicle chases feel a little too much on rails and bland.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
-
Because squash is already about 95% water, cooking it in water turns its mild sweetness bland.—
Kelly Brant,
Arkansas Online,
16 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
-
His determination and stoic unflappability were always the difference.—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
15 June 2026
-
Refs opted to disregard the blatant flagrant foul and the usually stoic Brunson erupted, chasing after the officials before turning on his heel in a fury and returning to the bench.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 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
-
The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
-
Storm surge combined with the normal tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
17 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 20 Jun. 2026.
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