deadpan
Deadpan (adjective) means Delivered with a completely blank, unsmiling face and a flat voice, so that the joke lands precisely because the speaker gives no sign of joking. Example: “Her deadpan delivery makes the punchline twice as funny.”
How to Use Deadpan
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSaying something funny with a totally straight face.
Neutral and widely used in criticism and everyday speech. Usually a compliment when applied to comic timing.
Deadpan describes how something is said, not what is said. A deadpan performer can be saying something extremely silly.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Her _____ delivery makes the punchline twice as funny.
Etymology
From dead in the sense 'lifeless, without movement' plus pan, old slang for the face.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related Words
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between deadpan and dry humour?
Deadpan describes the delivery — no expression, no smile, flat tone. Dry humour describes the content — understated, ironic, thrown away rather than pushed. They usually travel together, but you can deliver a broad joke deadpan, and you can deliver dry material with a grin.
What is the difference between deadpan and sarcasm?
Sarcasm means saying the opposite of what you mean, often to sting. Deadpan is a style of delivery that gives nothing away. Sarcasm is frequently deadpan, but a deadpan remark can be entirely sincere in its wording.
Where does the 'pan' in deadpan come from?
Pan was slang for the face, so a deadpan is literally a dead, motionless face. The word arrived in general use through American show business.