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 parade of styles, of homage and revolt, from the chromatic frenzy of Pollock and de Kooning to the deadpan rigor of Ruscha and Johns, led to the question of Lerner’s formation.—
Giles Harvey,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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And as an accomplished narrative filmmaker and documentarian, Loznitsa unveils deft homages to Jacques Tati and Roy Andersson, deadpan directors who reduce human behavior to its base movements.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The routine calls for this chic, almost expressionless vibe — very different from a typical K-pop performance.—
Billboard Korea,
Billboard,
26 Nov. 2025
-
Bale ran to the corner of the pitch, and, having been an expressionless bystander for much of the evening, shouted in ecstasy.—
Hua Hsu,
The New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2022
Adjective
-
An impressive revolving stage, which displayed both the exterior of the bank and the bland lobby inside, toggled smoothly between scenes.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Neutral tones, rattan and brown leather furnishings, and antique-style wooden pieces characterise each indoor space so elegantly that interiors barely resemble a tent at all.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
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In another part of the factory, a worker used a wooden stick, like a tongue compressor at a doctor’s office, to scrape excess bits of explosive out of the grooves inside each shell, ensuring that the base would screw on smoothly.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And even as his father stood stoic on the sideline, the arena felt the emotional weight of the moment.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
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And center Jake Slaughter was, well, as stoic as the All-American has ever been.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 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
-
Though the state is seeing a surface water supply far above average, March’s heat shock has left many less confident about the fate of water supply for the upcoming dry season.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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From December to January, Loni and other cities across northern India routinely grapple with a severe spike in pollution during the cold, dry winter months.—
Esha Mitra,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
During Saturn and Pluto’s sextile, your cautious 8th house and your stolid 6th house combine delicate topics with practical know-how.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Mar. 2026
-
In the Afrikaans world of my childhood, dancing often meant the stolid vastrap (tight-step), the terrible langarm (long-arm, a two-step that desperately wants to be a one-step), or, worst of all, volkspele (national or popular games), compulsory in Afrikaans-medium state-run schools.—
Jan Steyn,
The Dial,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straight-faced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straight-faced. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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