How to Use deadpan in a Sentence
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Larkin gave him his deadpan look.
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Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
10 Dec. 2025
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So this video is kind of deadpan, taking the piss out of people like that.
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Alex Blynn,
Billboard,
21 Nov. 2019
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My younger son had responded to my caution with a deadpan look.
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Washington Post,
17 Dec. 2020
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Martin then dropped the emotion from her face and gave a deadpan look to the camera.
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Charles Trepany,
USA TODAY,
30 June 2020
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And who will be the first to suffer a delightfully deadpan demise?
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Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2021
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Scott plays to his strengths as a performer with an ironic demeanor well-versed in deadpan humor.
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Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
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His voice, though still dry and deadpan, took on increasing urgency.
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Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2022
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The story’s deadpan title derives from one of these exchanges.
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Oliver Munday,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2021
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What makes the show spark is the specificity of the images that Wilson pairs with his deadpan text.
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Alexandra Schwartz,
The New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2020
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Then a very Mike White sigh and a deadpan line about saving a few bucks on the production.
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Marco Della Cava,
USA TODAY,
27 Oct. 2022
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In some ways, Notaro’s deadpan style might seem like an odd fit for animation.
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New York Times,
23 July 2021
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Mickey’s new caseload fires him up immediately, in a deadpan sort of way.
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Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2022
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Delivered with deadpan conviction, the speech kills, a mic drop of a movie entrance.
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Erik Maza,
Town & Country,
22 Feb. 2022
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His deadpan comic performance is the only thing keeping the film afloat.
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Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Nov. 2025
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Fallon, in turn, gave Curtis a deadpan look as the audience laughed.
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Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
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Teasdale warns with a mix of dead seriousness and deadpan humor.
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Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
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In this setting, her loose, silly charisma sharpened into a steely deadpan.
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Amanda Hess,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2019
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In repose her expression tends to be deadpan, except for her eyes, which are deep blue and have a mischievous glimmer.
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Abby Aguirre,
Vogue,
10 Dec. 2020
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The deadpan call turned the already funny scene into must-share content across social media.
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Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
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Fans who complained that announcers talked too much didn’t moan about the deadpan Summerall.
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Richard Sandomir,
New York Times,
29 Dec. 2021
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Though the aesthetic is similar to the rest of this oddball franchise, the tone is gentler and more deadpan.
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Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
6 July 2021
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Smart gave the character a delivery all her own—deadpan, droll, and fabulous.
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Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
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Known for his straight-faced, deadpan delivery, Che was comical even with end-of-life matters.
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al,
27 Mar. 2022
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The actress handles the deadpan demeanor of the piece with utmost precision.
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Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
11 Dec. 2025
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And Lemisch’s deadpan museum — along with the delighted public response to it — was very much a part of it.
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New York Times,
1 May 2026
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Stallone provides just the right amount of world-weary gravitas and deadpan humor to put over the hokey material.
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Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Aug. 2022
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Like many others in the courthouse, McQuade was no stranger to Tarnow's deadpan humor.
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Tresa Baldas,
Detroit Free Press,
24 Jan. 2022
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Chase sequences through streets and down staircases are more thuddingly deadpan than raucously camp.
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Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
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The Streets’s Mike Skinner returns, his deadpan speak-rapping not having aged a day.
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Jon Pareles,
New York Times,
17 Apr. 2020
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Anderson’s dry, deadpan humor is a perfect match for Roald Dahl’s dark whimsy.
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Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Apr. 2026
- He tells the joke in his best deadpan.
- She's a master of deadpan.
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Kreider laughs at his own deadpan.
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Michael Russo,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Annie takes up smoking and deadpan.
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Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
18 May 2026
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Ariana Grande gives good deadpan in this.
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Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
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What Nikou shares with Duprat and Cohn is a penchant for the deadpan.
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Anthony Lane,
The New Yorker,
17 June 2022
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Known for his deadpan jokes, McHenry can also have a fiery side.
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Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2023
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What could be more appealing than a pitch-perfect gleeful deadpan?
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Vulture,
27 June 2022
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Cassie has a droll sense of humor, and many of her lines land thanks to Johnson’s deadpan delivery.
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Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Feb. 2024
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Binnie’s deadpan, offhand narration makes clear how little the plot is the point.
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Stephanie Burt,
The New Yorker,
20 June 2022
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Rowan Blanchard is scene-stealingly good, and the writers seem to save all their best lines for her punchy deadpan.
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Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
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But his real gift is his steady and measured delivery, which never tilts into overt deadpan.
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Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
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Even the slightest modulations to her cryptic deadpan can turn her lyrics inside out.
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Chris Richards,
Washington Post,
8 Mar. 2024
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Annie is as out of place amongst them as a Labrador puppy amongst a pack of deadpan, Gaulouise-smoking wolves.
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Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
18 May 2026
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In a deadpan style, Downey went on to poke fun at critics’ snarky assessment of his performances.
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USA TODAY,
15 Jan. 2024
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The tones are sepia, the music orchestral, the title cards whimsical, and the faces deadpan.
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Andrea Marks,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2023
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Once the beat kicks in, Jennifer starts bopping up and down to match, all while staring deadpan into the camera.
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Rebecca Norris,
Country Living,
24 May 2020
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His characters tend to be unstable but charming, his writing arch and deadpan.
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Anna Altman,
The New Republic,
11 Nov. 2021
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Hall tells his tale with warmth and candor and none of the frosty deadpan he was known for back in the heyday of The Specials.
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Kenneth Partridge,
Billboard,
22 Jan. 2019
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Charles read the words with a deadpan delivery expected of a monarch, who is supposed to be above politics.
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Karla Adam,
Washington Post,
7 Nov. 2023
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Anthony answered in a deadpan, one corner of his mouth lightly tugging up into a smirk.
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Julia Poe,
orlandosentinel.com,
27 Sep. 2021
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The deadpan Latina embodies a certain kind of energy that keeps you on your toes.
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Mekita Rivas,
refinery29.com,
6 Sep. 2023
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Naturally, all this is carried off with staggering deadpan, with millions in cash in play.
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Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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And Odenkirk whittles his natural charm down to emotionless deadpan.
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Darren Franich,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2021
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For all the theatricality of his performances, Cruise is great at deadpan.
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Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 May 2021
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Ryan Gosling brought some deadpan fun to the 2024 Critics' Choice Awards.
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Kirsty Hatcher,
Peoplemag,
15 Jan. 2024
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Rounding out the group is Jess’s childhood best friend, Cece (Simone), a model with a killer deadpan.
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Todd Spangler,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2023
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Hawley possesses none of Swanson’s deadpan charm but does share his disdain for those in need—and for government that tries to help.
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The New Republic,
15 Sep. 2023
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In person, this quality emerges in the deadpan asides that Davis drops into the conversation.
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Simran Hans,
New York Times,
6 Dec. 2022
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His deadpan and perfect comedic timing will simply irresistible, and the Actors Branch could feel the same.
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Clayton Davis,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2023
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deadpan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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