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

Townsend was particularly deadpan on Thursday and no wonder.

From BBC

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

“The last time we did that was two whole Olympics ago,” Knight deadpans.

From Salon

“I feel like I’ve just been operating in a state of shock for the past, I don’t know how many months since June,” says Jimenez in her signature deadpan affect.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• impassive
• stony