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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deadpan
Certainly, there are delights here — bleach-blond Timothy Olyphant’s natural deadpan and pitch-perfect skepticism make synth Kirsh the series’ standout character, and the spider eyeball is a fun chaos agent.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
That all sounds like the workaday stuff of romantic drama, but A Big Bold Beautiful Journey—its script is by Seth Reiss, who co-wrote the 2022 foodie satire The Menu—takes some wacky swings, all presented with a deadpan flourish.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
Just like everything old that becomes new again, this generation has claimed Ortega’s dark, stoic, intimidating, deadpan take on Wednesday as their own—perfect Halloween costume material.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 18 Sep. 2025
Newhart — who is remembered for his signature deadpan style — died on July 18, 2024, following a series of short illnesses.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadpan
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
That all sounds like the workaday stuff of romantic drama, but A Big Bold Beautiful Journey—its script is by Seth Reiss, who co-wrote the 2022 foodie satire The Menu—takes some wacky swings, all presented with a deadpan flourish.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
Just like everything old that becomes new again, this generation has claimed Ortega’s dark, stoic, intimidating, deadpan take on Wednesday as their own—perfect Halloween costume material.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 18 Sep. 2025
Newhart — who is remembered for his signature deadpan style — died on July 18, 2024, following a series of short illnesses.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadpan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadpan
Adjective
-
As a completely blank canvas, the venue space is versatile, offering multiple layouts for large-scale events and floor-to-ceiling windows.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
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It was filled with blank pieces of paper .—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Bale ran to the corner of the pitch, and, having been an expressionless bystander for much of the evening, shouted in ecstasy.—
Hua Hsu,
The New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2022
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The company poured $10 billion into its Reality Labs division last year, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was criticized last week after posting a selfie that showed an expressionless version of his avatar in front of the Eiffel Tower.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
30 Aug. 2022
Adjective
-
Mia Wasikowska plays Edith, an heiress who marries a seductive baron, Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), and moves into his enormous, decaying mansion — which is also inhabited by Thomas' enigmatic sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain).—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
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Brides finds Sally Bishop (Cooke) and her husband on a trip to Northern Italy in 1961, where they get stranded at a remote villa run by the enigmatic Vova (Lawtey), who presides over a household of beautiful, deathless women (Turner-Smith, Prettejohn) and their caretaker (Gorman).—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But the most spectacular aspect of Nuestra Tierra may be its use of drone camerawork, and the way Martel uses the unsettling stillness of a drone as the eye of an impassive god, looking down at the wrongs carried out by those on the ground.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
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There are also plenty of promotional materials dating from the building’s launch, and in one video clip, Kurokawa sells the merits of the building to an impassive audience of smoking businessmen.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Though deBessonet’s production strips away a lot of the bunting, Ragtime has a stolid and demonstrative core and an educational tone worthy of EPCOT.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
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But the drama can be very stolid, borderline dull at times.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deadpan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadpan. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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