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:
I’ll bring my perspective and, I hope, a healthy dose of deadpan humor.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
The Canadian comedian, writer and producer Fielder is famous for harnessing the power of awkwardness, cringe and deadpan wit to great, if unsettling, comedic effect.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Every robot that faceplanted, lost a limb, or disintegrated in a spray of sparks was borne away on a stretcher by human attendants with deadpan solicitude.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
Great deadpan style and execution, comes across like a very seasoned prodigy even though he’s only three years in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Well,” said Curie, with deadpan irony, “how proud your sponsoring scythe must be to have the first perfect pupil in human history.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Blunt deadpanned: "Well, look, if you go early, I'll wear your outfits."
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Eternity is long,” she deadpanned, drawing laughs from the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
"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
“The award for Most Editing goes to CBS News,” she deadpanned.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2026
“So far in our relationship, Pudge, I’ve seen your chicken legs entirely too often,” the Colonel deadpanned.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
“So, I don’t recommend my services,” she said, deadpanning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2025
Statham ... 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
