as in deadpan
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Recent Examples of straight-faced
Mamdani emerged from this shroud of mystery triumphant, posting a photograph on X of himself, firmly straight-faced, standing alongside the grinning President.
—
Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
The bill is presented, straight-faced, as securing election integrity.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
To which Liu responded, straight-faced and finally dead serious.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
But the rest of the movie is straight-faced, as though its story of two reckless sociopaths vying to destroy the world in their respective modes weren’t appallingly depressing.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
The bill is presented, straight-faced, as securing election integrity.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2026
To which Liu responded, straight-faced and finally dead serious.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026
But the rest of the movie is straight-faced, as though its story of two reckless sociopaths vying to destroy the world in their respective modes weren’t appallingly depressing.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straight-faced
Adjective
-
The film is a stop-motion animation feature that blends deadpan wit and surreal situations into a reflection on existential whiplash.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Blending a tense crime thriller structure with absurdist, deadpan humor, the film follows a right-wing zealot who travels to a sleep rural town to assassinate a progressive woman journalist – but runs into a series of darkly comic encounters along the way.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
The 47-year-old, wearing a blue suit and blue tie, was expressionless as the charges against him were described.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
The routine calls for this chic, almost expressionless vibe — very different from a typical K-pop performance.—
Billboard Korea,
Billboard,
26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Although delightfully sweet and fragrant when fresh, baked strawberries have a tendency to become watery and bland.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 May 2026
-
Unlike Mario's revolutionary outing on the N64 with Mario 64, Yoshi's turn on that system was underwhelming at best, with unfocused and bland platforming.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
The $8 million double-racing wooden coaster featured the longest and highest vertical drop in the nation — 147 feet at a 55-degree angle — at the time.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
The illicit affair in the series even feels wooden and out of the blue, because the characters at its center don’t have any romantic chemistry.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rai put an exclamation point on his championship day with a birdie putt on 17 from nearly 70 feet, which only elicited a subtle fist pump from the stoic Englishman.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
-
During rare lapses, Gilgeous-Alexander has stayed stoic.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Moments of physical intimacy between his protagonists are often relayed in rigid and frustratingly inexpressive language, which occasionally veers into the tiringly smutty.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Curiously, given that Casey began as a choreographer, the lackluster dance is energetic but inexpressive.—
David Benedict,
Variety,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
If the spring season is too dry, flowers and trees cut back on nectar production, causing bees to go hungry.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
20 May 2026
-
Whipping winds can quickly spread the flames, and with the dry brush blanketing hills across South Orange County, minutes matter.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Kinlaw remained stolid throughout most of the public comment period and did not address calls for his resignation.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
-
At the outset, Martin (William Giammona) is as stolid as a piece of furniture, standing stock still at center stage, the black rectangle through which the other actors enter and exit like a deep void behind him.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straight-faced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straight-faced. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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