phlegmatic

adjective

phleg·​mat·​ic fleg-ˈma-tik How to pronounce phlegmatic (audio)
1
: resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm
2
: having or showing a slow and stolid temperament
phlegmatically adverb

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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.

Choose the Right Synonym for phlegmatic

impassive, stoic, phlegmatic, apathetic, stolid mean unresponsive to something that might normally excite interest or emotion.

impassive stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression.

met the news with an impassive look

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

phlegmatic implies a temperament or constitution hard to arouse.

a phlegmatic man unmoved by tears

apathetic may imply a puzzling or deplorable indifference or inertness.

charitable appeals met an apathetic response

stolid implies a habitual absence of interest, responsiveness, or curiosity.

stolid workers wedded to routine

Examples of phlegmatic in a Sentence

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 Enter, then, Penélope Cruz, the raging storm to Driver’s phlegmatic calm, and the ultimate heart of a film that sometimes prefers to keep it hidden. Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023 Yet while Chamberlain is the story’s champion — a noble defender, historical bone of contention and revisionist argument rolled into one phlegmatic figure — the movie’s more energetic and visually engaging heroic duties have been relegated to Hugh, Paul and the supporting players in their orbits. New York Times, 20 Jan. 2022 Others, though, were even more phlegmatic. Rory Smith, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2022 Thiel is phlegmatic about his venture and points to the entrepreneurial spirit found within Texas, U.S. Jemma Green, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023 The real winner was a man who wasn’t there: McConnell, the phlegmatic leader of the nonanarchic Senate GOP. Doyle McManuswashington Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2023 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

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phlegmatic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see phlegm

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of phlegmatic was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near phlegmatic

Cite this Entry

“Phlegmatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phlegmatic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

phlegmatic

adjective
phleg·​mat·​ic fleg-ˈmat-ik How to pronounce phlegmatic (audio)
: not easily excited : slow to respond
phlegmatically adverb
Etymology

from earlier phlegm "one of the four body fluids once believed to affect a person's health," from Middle English fleume (same meaning), from early French fleume (same meaning), from Latin phlegma (same meaning), from Greek phlegma "flame, phlegm" see Word History at humor

Medical Definition

phlegmatic

adjective
phleg·​mat·​ic fleg-ˈmat-ik How to pronounce phlegmatic (audio)
1
: resembling, consisting of, or producing the humor phlegm
2
: having or showing a slow and stolid temperament
phlegmatically adverb

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