Meaning & use
deadpan
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Showing no emotion or smile while saying something funny, so the humor seems serious.
Grammar: Before a noun or after a verb: a deadpan joke; her tone was deadpan.
Patterns
- a deadpan delivery
- deadpan humor
He told the joke in a deadpan voice, and the room burst out laughing.
Her deadpan expression gave nothing away.
The show is famous for its deadpan humor.
adverbnot comparable
In a way that shows no emotion, especially when making a joke.
Grammar: Often follows a verb of speaking: she said it deadpan.
Patterns
- say something deadpan
He said deadpan that he had never seen the cat before.
She delivered the line completely deadpan.
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal
To say or do something humorous with a serious, unchanged face.
Grammar: Can take a quote or object: he deadpanned, I'm shocked.
Patterns
- deadpan something
I'm sure it's fine, he deadpanned as smoke filled the kitchen.
She deadpanned her way through the whole interview.
Word forms
| third person singular | deadpans |
|---|---|
| past tense | deadpanned |
| past participle | deadpanned |
| -ing form | deadpanning |
Common combinations
- deadpan humor
- British comedy is known for deadpan humor.
- deadpan expression
- He kept a deadpan expression throughout.
- deadpan delivery
- Her deadpan delivery made the line funnier.
- say deadpan
- I like your haircut, he said deadpan.
- completely deadpan
- The comedian stayed completely deadpan.
Synonyms and how they differ
- expressionless
- Expressionless only describes a blank face and need not imply joking.
- dry
- Dry humor is subtle and understated, while deadpan is about the unchanged face and tone.
- poker-faced
- Poker-faced stresses hiding feelings, as in cards, rather than delivering a joke.
- straight-faced
- Straight-faced is a very close, plainer way of saying you did not smile while joking.
Opposites
Word family
- deadpanner noun
- a person who tells jokes with no expression
- deadpanned adjective
- said with no expression
- dead adjective
- without life, used here for lack of expression
- pan noun
- informal word for the face
Commonly confused: deadpan or dry?
deadpan vs dry
Dry wit is a subtle humor, but deadpan is about keeping a blank face and flat tone.
Practice
Which speaker is being deadpan?
Choose one answer.
Deadpan means delivering humor with no visible emotion. The other speakers show strong feelings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deadpan”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.