deadpan

English

Alternative forms

• dead-pan, dead pan

Etymology

From dead +‎ pan (“face”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛdpæn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

deadpan (comparative more deadpan, superlative most deadpan)

1. Deliberately impassive or expressionless.

   a deadpan face or look

   deadpan behaviour or speech

2. Having such a face or look.

   The comedian remained deadpan.

Synonyms

• poker-faced

Translations

deliberately impassive or expressionless (as a face or look)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: no equivalent term in Mandarin, but see 故作嚴肅的／故作严肃的 (gǔzuò yánsùde)

• Danish: udtryksløs, gravalvorlig (da)
• Dutch: emotieloos (nl), zonder uitdrukking
• Finnish: ilmeetön (fi), naama peruslukemilla
• French: pince-sans-rire (fr)
• German: ausdruckslos (de)
• Greek: αγέλαστος (el) (agélastos)
• Italian: impassibile (it), inespressivo (it)
• Japanese: 能面のような (のうめんのような, nō-men no yō na)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: uttrykksløs, gravalvorlig

• Portuguese: inexpressivo
• Russian: невозмути́мый (ru) (nevozmutímyj), бесстра́стный (ru) (besstrástnyj)
• Spanish: inexpresivo (es)
• Swedish: uttryckslös (sv)
• Turkish: ifadesiz, duygusuz (tr)

having such a face or look (as a person)

• Danish: udtryksløs
• German: ungerührt (de)
• Swedish: uttryckslös (sv)

impassive (as behaviour or speech)

• Hungarian: érzéketlen (hu), szenvtelen (hu)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} inexpresivo (es), ^{(please verify)} socarrón (es)

Adverb

deadpan (comparative more deadpan, superlative most deadpan)

1. In a deadpan manner.
   • 2004, Steven Greenhut, Abuse of Power: How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain‎^[1], page 46:

     A city-hired consultant from a firm called Urban Futures was booed repeatedly by the agitated homeowners as he talked deadpan, in bureaucratese, about his firm's "evidentiary record" pointing to blight in the neighborhood.

Translations

in a deadpan manner

• Danish: udtryksløs
• Swedish: uttryckslöst (sv)

Noun

deadpan (uncountable)

1. A style of comedic delivery in which something humorous is said or done while not exhibiting a change in emotion or facial expression.
   • 2007, Meredith Gran, Octopus Pie #71: Deadpan‎^[2]:

     MAREK: But really the deadpan is key. You can essentially trick people into laughing at nothing.

Synonyms

• deadpan comedy
• deadpan humour

Translations

style of comedy

• French: pince-sans-rire (fr) m

Verb

deadpan (third-person singular simple present deadpans, present participle deadpanning, simple past and past participle deadpanned)

1. To express (oneself) in an impassive or expressionless manner.
   • 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 496:

     Kidd deadpanned it, stared glassily back at Maitland.

Derived terms

• deadpanner

 

Translations

express in an expressionless manner

Anagrams

• pedanda