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Glite Dictionary
po-faced

po-faced

9.4
Showing a serious, unhappy expression with no sign of fun
  • adjective
  • /ˈpoʊˌfeɪst/
  • UK
translation icon : serio
  • The manager's po-faced reaction made the lighthearted comment fall flat.

Examples

  • She spoke in a po-faced tone, taking the issue far more seriously than anyone else.

  • The teacher had a po-faced expression during the lecture.

  • Everyone at the table was joking, but Mark remained po-faced throughout dinner.

  • Don't be so po-faced!

  • Everyone at the table was joking, but Mark remained po-faced throughout dinner.

  • She spoke in a po-faced tone, taking the issue far more seriously than anyone else.

  • The manager's po-faced reaction made the lighthearted comment fall flat.

Synonyms

humorless
vspo-faced
  • US
12 4.9

Not able to see or show what is funny

is a serious disapproving manner rather than a general personal trait
deadpan
vspo-faced
9 7.5

A way of speaking that shows no feeling, often to be funny

is a sincere serious manner showing disapproval not humorous expression
poker-faced
vspo-faced
  • Informal
1 6.9

Not showing emotion to hide thoughts or feelings

is a visible serious disapproving manner rather than intentional concealment
scowling
vspo-faced
1 5.4

A person who looks angry and unfriendly because they frown

is more about restrained seriousness and lack of amusement rather than anger

Antonyms

cheerful
111 1.0

Happy in a way you show with a smile or friendly actions

smiling
2 1.0

Having a smile that shows happiness or friendliness

How Serious

grim
32 4.2
stern
42 4.3
po-faced
  • UK
9.4
serious
452 1.4
unsmiling
3 4.0

Surface Forms

po-faced positive

Morphology

po-faced = poker-faced (opaque) = po + face + ed

The word is a clipped form of 'poker-faced', so its meaning is not recoverable from the visible parts of 'po-faced' alone.

Etymology

Po-faced is built from po and -faced, giving a simple picture of a person's face. A helpful way to remember it is to think of it like 'poker-faced' — someone with a straight, 'no-smile' face — so po-faced means serious or 'not showing amusement'.