deadpan
Americanadjective
-
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
verb (used with or without object)
noun
-
a face showing no expression.
-
a style of comedy that relies on the comedian's maintaining such a face.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deadpan
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; dead + pan 1 (in the slang sense “face”)
Explanation
Use the word deadpan to describe someone who uses no expression when speaking, such as the deadpan way some comedians deliver even their funniest jokes — which can make them even funnier. Deadpan dates to 1928, when pan was slang for "face." So if you seem to have a "dead face" as you say something, it means your face looks very blank — no energy or animation. Deadpan is associated with sarcasm, and like sarcasm, if you use it for comic effect, there's a risk your audience won't pick up on it. Nevertheless, deadpan humor can be funny and popular — witness the success of deadpan humor in the sitcom Seinfeld.
Vocabulary lists containing deadpan
The Hate U Give
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The Egypt Game
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Every Day
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Amelia Dimoldenberg is the queen of the deadpan silence.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Ranganathan, best known for his deadpan stage style, became its co-owner in 2024, describing it as "the partnership of the century".
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Jones also worked as a scholar of history and made passionate efforts to excavate the satirical intentions of Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale” from beneath centuries of deadpan scholarship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
“We do not care if we still wear skinny jeans — they stretch and they’re comfortable,” she reads, deadpan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026
She said, deadpan, “I don’t know what you mean, Pete. I like the business. It’s a good one. I make good money, meet nice people.”
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
"Celebrity Traitors managed to turn Alan Carr into a manipulative serial killer," host Greg Davies deadpanned, adding: "We all know he's a good person".
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
“Well, someone has to do the first draft of my obituary,” Jack deadpanned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
“It’s part of our job now,” she deadpanned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
“The award for Most Editing goes to CBS News,” she deadpanned.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2026
“Yeah, that never occurred to me before,” I deadpanned.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
“They obviously have a great fan base,” Sean McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters before deadpanning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025
Statham is less violent here than in previous Ritchie outings, but he remains unflappable, which is why he charms as he disarms with his patented deadpanning and action moves.
From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2023
Most offices “have a rule against open-toe footwear, but not open-back,” said Mr. DeLeon, deadpanning.
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2021
At one point, a brief but delectable sight gag has the street urchins deadpanning through a window, wearing sunglasses, while Seymour sings about a solar eclipse.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 24, 2019
Yogi relented, deadpanning, “O.K., fine, make it like mine.”
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 16, 2019
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
