deadpan

adjective

ˈded-ˌpan How to pronounce deadpan (audio)
Definition of deadpannext
as in blank
not expressing any emotion he delivered the joke in such a deadpan voice that we thought at first that he was serious

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 deadpan Reiter’s character’s brash self-assurance, along with her expressive face and physicality, really complement a deadpan Wickline. — Rima Parikh, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026 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 deadpan set-up played out in a campaign all the way to Super Bowl 2024 where Cera appeared in a spot for CeraVe. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026 The exchange reached millions when George Stern, a former McKinsey consultant, read the texts deadpan to camera, becoming one of his most viral Instagram and TikTok videos. — Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deadpan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadpan
  1. blank
  2. expressionless
  3. enigmatic
  4. impassive
  5. stolid
Adjective
  • Becerra’s origin story traces back to his youth in Sacramento, and a moment when a high school friend was about to throw out a blank, unused application to Stanford University.
    — Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Various items are prohibited across the complex, including phones, smartwatches, recording devices, and, curiously, blank double-sided pieces of printer paper.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of blank
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
  • Swamped by allegations of fraud, the actions of the company and its enigmatic CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, shone a harsh light on problems with scientific start-ups.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
  • That's especially prevalent in the Oversized Graphic T-Shirt with enigmatic dates on the back -- those are already causing a stir in the fan community.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of enigmatic
Adjective
  • Then, after walking for a couple of blocks, directing withering sneers at the policeman’s reddish face, which was as impassive as that of a stone idol, Gleb cooled down and succumbed to boredom.
    — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
  • There are melancholic elements, including human characters that can seem lost in their thoughts — impassive and detached from the world.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of impassive
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
Definition of stolid

Browse Nearby Words

dead-on
deadpan
dead presidents
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deadpan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadpan. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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