expressionless

expressionless — adjective

1. showing no emotion, thought, or feeling on your face, so that other people canno

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

showing no emotion, thought, or feeling on your face, so that other people cannot tell what you are thinking

Example

Priya's face remained expressionless as she listened to the criticism from her manager.

remain + expressionless — linking verb describing facial reaction

The security guard stood at the gate with an expressionless look, watching everyone pass.

Common collocations
  • expressionless face
  • expressionless stare
  • expressionless look
  • expressionless voice
  • expressionless tone
  • remain expressionless
  • stay expressionless
Synonyms
  • blank

    less formal than expressionless; suggests a temporary lack of thought or understanding

  • impassive

    more formal; suggests deliberate control of emotions, often in professional or serious settings

  • deadpan

    often humorous; describes a deliberately flat tone or face, especially when saying something funny

  • poker-faced

    informal; suggests hiding one's true feelings intentionally, like a card player

Antonyms
  • expressive

    clearly showing feelings or thoughts through the face

  • animated

    full of energy and emotion, with lively facial expressions

Usage Note

Frequently paired with nouns describing the face or manner: face, expression, stare, look, voice, or tone. Can be used both before a noun (attributive) and after a linking verb (predicative).

Common Mistakes

His face was very expressionless.
His face was completely expressionless.
'expressionless' describes an absolute state, so 'completely', 'entirely', or 'totally' are more natural than 'very'.
She expressionless looked at him.
She looked at him with an expressionless face.
'expressionless' is an adjective, not an adverb. Use it to describe a noun, not a verb.