deadpan

American  

[ded-pan] / ˈdɛdˌpæn /

adjective

1. marked by or accomplished with a careful pretense of seriousness or calm detachment; impassive or expressionless.

   deadpan humor.

2. displaying no emotional or personal involvement.

   a deadpan style.

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adverb

1. in a deadpan manner.

   He spoke his lines utterly deadpan.

verb (used with or without object)

deadpanned, deadpanning

1. to behave or perform in a deadpan manner.

noun

1. a face showing no expression.

2. a style of comedy that relies on the comedian's maintaining such a face.

deadpan British  

/ ˈdɛdˌpæn /

adjective

1. with a deliberately emotionless face or manner

   deadpan humour

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Other Word Forms

• dead panner noun

Etymology

Origin of deadpan

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; dead + pan ¹ (in the slang sense “face”)

Example Sentences

“Well, someone has to do the first draft of my obituary,” Jack deadpanned.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I looked at that scene and went, yeah, that’s going to get people talking,” she deadpans in the HBO offices one January afternoon, before breaking out into a giggle.

From Los Angeles Times

“We do not care if we still wear skinny jeans — they stretch and they’re comfortable,” she reads, deadpan.

From Los Angeles Times

“End of Beginning” doesn’t appear in the show, but Keery is a perennial fan favorite, thanks to his gravity-defying hair and deadpan one-liners.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s part of our job now,” she deadpanned.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• impassive
• stony