phlegmatic

adjective

phleg·mat·ic fleg-ˈma-tik How to pronounce phlegmatic (audio)

: resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm

: having or showing a slow and stolid temperament

phlegmatically

fleg-ˈma-ti-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce phlegmatic (audio)

adverb

Did you know?

Phlegm and the Four Temperaments

According to the ancient Greeks, human personalities were controlled by four bodily fluids or semifluids called humors: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. Each humor was associated with one of the four basic elements: air, earth, fire, and water. Phlegm was paired with water—the cold, moist element—and it was believed to impart the cool, calm, unemotional personality we now call the "phlegmatic type." That's a bit odd, given that the term derives from the Greek phlegma, which literally means "flame," perhaps a reflection of the inflammation that colds and flus often bring.

Example Sentences

Some people are phlegmatic, some highly strung. Some are anxious, others risk-seeking. Some are confident, others shy. Some are quiet, others loquacious. We call these differences personality …

Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999 Why would a man live like this? Alone on the godforsaken prairie surrounded by whispering cornfields and phlegmatic Swedes if instead you could go to picture shows and snazzy restaurants and dance with a beautiful woman with her head on your shoulder and her perfume driving you wild?

Garrison Keillor, WLT: A Radio Romance, 1991 But Einstein was phlegmatic: when a book was published entitled 100 Authors Against Einstein, he retorted, "If I were wrong, then one would have been enough!"

Stephen W. Hawking, A Brief History of Time, 1988 a strangely phlegmatic response to what should have been happy news

Recent Examples on the Web Right now, there might be no sprinter alive more talented than Erriyon Knighton, the phlegmatic teenager from Tampa, Florida, who over the course of the past year has broken Bolt’s under-18 and under-20 world records in the 200-meters.

Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, 11 Aug. 2022 When a cardiologist prescribes swimming five days a week, the phlegmatic Birbiglia argues that such a regimen would overwhelm even Michael Phelps.

Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2022 The interview – as well as Stahl's globetrotting investigation to find Marcel's family – are shown at length in the film, and will surely delight anyone who's familiar with her phlegmatic delivery and meticulous reporting.

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 27 June 2022 One of Banky’s first public murals to receive widespread attention portrayed a phlegmatic Teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at riot police.

oregonlive, 4 Apr. 2022 Such audacities were otherwise quashed in Holbein’s supervening duties to phlegmatic patrons.

Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 While Putin saw these events as cataclysmic, Merkel already seemed to have the strangely phlegmatic attitude toward grand ideas of history that would characterize her sixteen-year reign as chancellor of the united Germany.

Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, 18 Oct. 2021 Neither hyperactive grandstanding in Paris nor phlegmatic passivity from Berlin has prevented the emergence of a common Western position.

Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 21 Feb. 2022 The Diamondbacks’ approach heading into the 2021 season was decidedly phlegmatic.

Tony Blengino, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2021 See More

phlegmatic

adjective

as in stoic

not feeling or showing emotion a strangely phlegmatic response to what should have been happy news

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

stoic
calm
stolid
unemotional
impassive
undemonstrative
stoical
passionless
apathetic
emotionless
bland
affectless
enigmatic
detached
enigmatical
numb
dry
taciturn
imperturbable
impassible
dispassionate
reserved
cold
unflappable
cold-blooded
collected
composed
unmoved
empty
aloof
inexpressive
expressionless
wooden
deadpan
cool
reticent
indifferent
blank
unsentimental
inscrutable
pitiless
objective
unconcerned
vacant
impersonal
bloodless
stone-faced
unresponsive
thoughtless
unfeeling
impenetrable
straight-faced
inconsiderate
hard-hearted
insensible

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

emotional
passionate
impassioned
fervent
vehement
enthusiastic
fervid
demonstrative
passional
fiery
zealous
ardent
sentimental
hot-blooded
sympathetic
flaming
burning
melodramatic
dramatic
mawkish
maudlin
blazing
histrionic
mushy
gung ho
glowing
perfervid
compassionate
warm-blooded
reactive
overemotional
sensitive
overheated
gushing
responsive
red-hot

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of phlegmatic are apathetic, impassive, stoic, and stolid. While all these words mean "unresponsive to something that might normally excite interest or emotion," phlegmatic implies a temperament or constitution hard to arouse.

a phlegmatic man unmoved by tears

Although the words apathetic and phlegmatic have much in common, apathetic may imply a puzzling or deplorable indifference or inertness.

charitable appeals met an apathetic response

While in some cases nearly identical to phlegmatic, impassive stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression.

met the news with an impassive look

The meanings of stoic and phlegmatic largely overlap; however, stoic implies an apparent indifference to pleasure or especially to pain often as a matter of principle or self-discipline.

was resolutely stoic even in adversity

The words stolid and phlegmatic can be used in similar contexts, but stolid implies a habitual absence of interest, responsiveness, or curiosity.

stolid workers wedded to routine

单词	phlegmatic
释义	phlegmatic adjective phleg·mat·ic fleg-ˈma-tik 1 : resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm 2 : having or showing a slow and stolid temperament phlegmatically fleg-ˈma-ti-k(ə-)lē adverb Did you know? Phlegm and the Four Temperaments According to the ancient Greeks, human personalities were controlled by four bodily fluids or semifluids called humors: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. Each humor was associated with one of the four basic elements: air, earth, fire, and water. Phlegm was paired with water—the cold, moist element—and it was believed to impart the cool, calm, unemotional personality we now call the "phlegmatic type." That's a bit odd, given that the term derives from the Greek phlegma, which literally means "flame," perhaps a reflection of the inflammation that colds and flus often bring. Synonyms affectless apathetic cold-blooded emotionless impassible impassive numb passionless stoic stoical stolid undemonstrative unemotional See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Some people are phlegmatic, some highly strung. Some are anxious, others risk-seeking. Some are confident, others shy. Some are quiet, others loquacious. We call these differences personality … Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999 Why would a man live like this? Alone on the godforsaken prairie surrounded by whispering cornfields and phlegmatic Swedes if instead you could go to picture shows and snazzy restaurants and dance with a beautiful woman with her head on your shoulder and her perfume driving you wild? Garrison Keillor, WLT: A Radio Romance, 1991 But Einstein was phlegmatic: when a book was published entitled 100 Authors Against Einstein, he retorted, "If I were wrong, then one would have been enough!" Stephen W. Hawking, A Brief History of Time, 1988 a strangely phlegmatic response to what should have been happy news Recent Examples on the Web Right now, there might be no sprinter alive more talented than Erriyon Knighton, the phlegmatic teenager from Tampa, Florida, who over the course of the past year has broken Bolt’s under-18 and under-20 world records in the 200-meters. Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, 11 Aug. 2022 When a cardiologist prescribes swimming five days a week, the phlegmatic Birbiglia argues that such a regimen would overwhelm even Michael Phelps. Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2022 The interview – as well as Stahl's globetrotting investigation to find Marcel's family – are shown at length in the film, and will surely delight anyone who's familiar with her phlegmatic delivery and meticulous reporting. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 27 June 2022 One of Banky’s first public murals to receive widespread attention portrayed a phlegmatic Teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at riot police. oregonlive, 4 Apr. 2022 Such audacities were otherwise quashed in Holbein’s supervening duties to phlegmatic patrons. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 While Putin saw these events as cataclysmic, Merkel already seemed to have the strangely phlegmatic attitude toward grand ideas of history that would characterize her sixteen-year reign as chancellor of the united Germany. Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, 18 Oct. 2021 Neither hyperactive grandstanding in Paris nor phlegmatic passivity from Berlin has prevented the emergence of a common Western position. Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 21 Feb. 2022 The Diamondbacks’ approach heading into the 2021 season was decidedly phlegmatic. Tony Blengino, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2021 See More Word History Etymology see phlegm First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Medical Definition phlegmatic adjective phleg·mat·ic fleg-ˈmat-ik 1 : resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm 2 : having or showing a slow and stolid temperament phlegmatic adjective as in stoic not feeling or showing emotion a strangely phlegmatic response to what should have been happy news Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance stoic calm stolid unemotional impassive undemonstrative stoical passionless apathetic emotionless bland affectless enigmatic detached enigmatical numb dry taciturn imperturbable impassible dispassionate reserved cold unflappable cold-blooded collected composed unmoved empty aloof inexpressive expressionless wooden deadpan cool reticent indifferent blank unsentimental inscrutable pitiless objective unconcerned vacant impersonal bloodless stone-faced unresponsive thoughtless unfeeling impenetrable straight-faced inconsiderate hard-hearted insensible Antonyms & Near Antonyms emotional passionate impassioned fervent vehement enthusiastic fervid demonstrative passional fiery zealous ardent sentimental hot-blooded sympathetic flaming burning melodramatic dramatic mawkish maudlin blazing histrionic mushy gung ho glowing perfervid compassionate warm-blooded reactive overemotional sensitive overheated gushing responsive red-hot See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of phlegmatic are apathetic, impassive, stoic, and stolid. While all these words mean "unresponsive to something that might normally excite interest or emotion," phlegmatic implies a temperament or constitution hard to arouse. a phlegmatic man unmoved by tears Although the words apathetic and phlegmatic have much in common, apathetic may imply a puzzling or deplorable indifference or inertness. charitable appeals met an apathetic response While in some cases nearly identical to phlegmatic, impassive stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression. met the news with an impassive look The meanings of stoic and phlegmatic largely overlap; however, stoic implies an apparent indifference to pleasure or especially to pain often as a matter of principle or self-discipline. was resolutely stoic even in adversity The words stolid and phlegmatic can be used in similar contexts, but stolid implies a habitual absence of interest, responsiveness, or curiosity. stolid workers wedded to routine
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phlegmatic

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Medical Definition

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser