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:
The same could be said for Romesh Ranganathan - who, in a departure from his usual cynical, deadpan stand-up persona, seemed really to care about his fellow cast members.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
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
I shoot him the most deadpan look I have in me and dump them all back out.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
Asked by iHeartPodcasts President Will Pearson why it was the right time to start a podcast, Nick Jonas deadpanned, “Well, we’ve always loved the sound of our own voices.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
When the court experienced audio issues early in the trial, she addressed it and then deadpanned: "What can I tell you? We are funded by the federal government."
From BBC ● May 15, 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
“Shame you didn’t,” I deadpanned, and they laughed.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
He got more lighthearted as the band settled in, tussling with Louis Tomlinson in onstage water fights and deadpanning in a banana costume on a European tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2024
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
Yogi relented, deadpanning, “O.K., fine, make it like mine.”
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 16, 2019
Stewart won some laughter after deadpanning: “I couldn’t hear you. Can you say that again?”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 14, 2018
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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.
