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
With just enough codeine to wash the phlegm away, Veeze folds slapstick one-liners into audacious flexes like origami.
—
Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
The second is having either 10 or more pack years of smoking, or symptoms of cough, phlegm and trouble breathing.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease is made via chest X-ray, urine test and lab analysis of a phlegm sample.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
How brown phlegm looks can vary from person to person.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for phlegm
Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025
The second is having either 10 or more pack years of smoking, or symptoms of cough, phlegm and trouble breathing.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease is made via chest X-ray, urine test and lab analysis of a phlegm sample.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
How brown phlegm looks can vary from person to person.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for phlegm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phlegm
Noun
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Emotional numbness, on the other hand, blocks out feelings, avoids discomfort and undermines connection.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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That makes numbness different from tingling, a prickly sensation that indicates that a nerve is irritated.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Instead, the general indifference shown toward its own story — or, at least, the best versions of it — comes to emphasize the emptiness at its core.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
8 Jan. 2026
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He was left with an unfamiliar emptiness.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Large roof windows maximize natural light, and the interior decor makes use of coated plywood and glass to offset the coldness of the concrete.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Dec. 2025
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However, colors can also pull out negative emotions in people, such as defiance (red), coldness (blue), fear (yellow), and boredom (green).—
Daniel Fusch,
Ascend Agency,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The tension between human need and the superior power of machine apathy has always been part of HEALTH’s music.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
21 Jan. 2026
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At the same time, many progressive church leaders, facing dwindling congregations and general public apathy, have become more careful about appearing partisan in any way, which has allowed right-wing Christian nationalism to define the conversation about religion and politics.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phlegm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phlegm. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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