as in numbness
a lack of emotion or emotional expressiveness
a man of remarkable phlegm, never showing enthusiasm nor displeasure
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Recent Examples of phlegm
Signs and symptoms include a cough that lasts for three weeks or longer, coughing up blood or phlegm, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, chills and night sweats, according to the CDC.
—
Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2025
Common symptoms of pneumonia include chest pain when breathing or coughing; fatigue; fever, sweating and shaking chills; nausea or vomiting; and a cough that produces phlegm, according to the Mayo Clinic.
—Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
Other common symptoms of CF include coughing attacks (often with phlegm), shortness of breath, greasy and bulky stools, rectal prolapse and constipation.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Use Peppermint Peppermint can effectively soothe a sore throat, thin mucus, loosen phlegm, and calm coughs.
—Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phlegm
Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2025
Common symptoms of pneumonia include chest pain when breathing or coughing; fatigue; fever, sweating and shaking chills; nausea or vomiting; and a cough that produces phlegm, according to the Mayo Clinic.
—Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
Other common symptoms of CF include coughing attacks (often with phlegm), shortness of breath, greasy and bulky stools, rectal prolapse and constipation.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Use Peppermint Peppermint can effectively soothe a sore throat, thin mucus, loosen phlegm, and calm coughs.
—Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phlegm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phlegm
Noun
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Another clue is pain or numbness at the site of the bite.—
Shiv Sudhakar,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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And yet, there’s a kind of collective numbness — a quiet normalisation of the unthinkable.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Voisin — who played another hero of a French classic in Xavier Giannoli’s 2021 adaptation of Balzac’s Lost Illusions — carries the entire drama as a lost soul whose physical beauty (perfect jawline, killer abs) can hardly conceal the emptiness inside of him.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
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When Scout died, Watson was left grappling with an emptiness that followed her home each day.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At the time of writing, there has been no message of gratitude towards Newcastle or the fans from Isak, potentially in response to the coldness of the club’s announcement.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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The catch, though, is that this hard exterior is often misinterpreted as coldness or disinterest (which is why clear communication is so important).—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Rose, with her blonde waves and dark lowlights, had a striking resemblance to Avril Lavigne, while her music was flanked by the angst and apathy of Fiona Apple and Liz Phair.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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When anger starts turning into apathy, that’s a bad sign.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phlegm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phlegm. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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