deadpan

[ ded-pan ]

/ ˈdɛdˌpæn /

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See synonyms for: deadpan / deadpans on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

displaying no emotional or personal involvement: a deadpan style.

adverb

in a deadpan manner: He spoke his lines utterly deadpan.

verb (used with or without object), dead·panned, dead·pan·ning.

to behave or perform in a deadpan manner.

noun Also dead pan .

a face showing no expression.

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

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Origin of deadpan

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; dead + pan¹ (in the slang sense “face”)

historical usage of deadpan

Deadpan is an Americanism from the 1920s. Around that time, pan was emerging as a slang term meaning “the face,” probably due to a similarity in shape to a frying pan. When your face is deadpan, it's expressionless, as if you were dead.

OTHER WORDS FROM deadpan

dead panner, noun

Words nearby deadpan

deadname, dead nettle, dead of, dead-on, dead on one's feet, deadpan, dead point, dead president, dead pulp, dead-reckon, dead reckoning

How to use deadpan in a sentence

Her vocal-fry-inflected monotone that Kardashian fans know and love, perfect for delivering deadpan insults like, “Kim, there’s people that are dying,” is simply not meant to land corny Netflix jokes.
‘He’s All That’ Proves Addison Rae and Kourtney Kardashian Can’t Act|Jordan Julian|August 27, 2021|The Daily Beast
A double mastectomy and a life-threatening intestinal infection later, Notaro’s ability to turn painful situations into laughable onstage anecdotes with almost deadpan perfection has held her in great stead.
18 Comics of Tomorrow|Sohini Das Gupta|August 1, 2021|Ozy
This is where Jim Halpert turns to the camera with a deadpan expression.
Kevin McCarthy lives in an idyllic universe where his party no longer questions the 2020 election results|Philip Bump|May 12, 2021|Washington Post
If you’ve seen Andersson’s 2014 A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, you’ll be prepared for this movie’s dandelion puffs of off-kilter humor, and for its deadpan exploration of the textures of everyday living.
Roy Andersson's Quietly Gorgeous About Endlessness Explores Questions for Which There Are No Answers|Stephanie Zacharek|April 29, 2021|Time

“I’m patient because I cannot really run fast, and that’s my only option,” he said, with a deadpan.
Nikola Jokić Is A Tortoise, And He’s Beating All Of The Hares|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 24, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The Garfield specials are also unique for their deadpan delivery and oftentimes bleak worldview.
Garfield Television: The Cat Who Saved Primetime Cartoons|Rich Goldstein|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But something about the cover image—four deadpan dudes against a robin's-egg blue background—spoke to me, I guess.
Remembering Weezer’s ‘The Blue Album,’ A Garage Rock Classic, on Its 20th Anniversary|Andrew Romano|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he had his own defenses, a great off-hand resilience and a deadpan humor, and he survived.
What It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the Beatles—Nik Cohn Remembers|Nik Cohn|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How could the deadpan-hilarious prince of SNL and 30 Rock turn in such a boring late-night talk show debut?
'Up Late with Alec Baldwin' is a Snooze|Lloyd Grove|October 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“I could tell you missed me more than I missed you,” Tom says, deadpan.
Matt & Tom Berninger on The National’s Doc ‘Mistaken for Strangers’|Melissa Leon|April 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Halfway across the lobby, a tall swarthy man with one of those deadpan faces rose to greet him.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
She continued to stare, deadpan and blank-eyed, with no answering flicker of a smile.
The Stars, My Brothers|Edmond Hamilton
Suzanne looked closely at him—he was so deadpan, it was hard to tell what was on his mind.
Makers|Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for deadpan

deadpan

/ (ˈdɛdˌpæn) /

adjective, adverb

with a deliberately emotionless face or mannerdeadpan humour

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

deadpan

Origin of deadpan

historical usage of deadpan

OTHER WORDS FROM deadpan

Words nearby deadpan

Words related to deadpan

How to use deadpan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deadpan