Synonyms of phlegm

phlegm

noun

ˈflem 

as in numbness

a lack of emotion or emotional expressiveness

a man of remarkable phlegm, never showing enthusiasm nor displeasure

Synonyms & Similar Words

• numbness
• impassiveness
• impassivity
• emptiness
• coldness
• apathy
• insensibility
• emotionlessness
• detachment
• affectlessness
• callosity
• hardness
• imperturbability
• coolness
• blankness
• heartlessness
• obduracy
• bloodlessness
• indifference
• stiffness
• callousness
• deadness
• vacancy
• insensitivity
• halfheartedness
• woodenness
• unconcern
• aloofness
• hard-heartedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• emotion
• feeling
• sensibility
• sympathy
• sensitivity
• pity
• compassion
• empathy
• understanding
• warmth
• tenderness
• receptivity
• responsiveness
• hysteria
• melodrama
• solicitude
• hysterics
• vehemence
• receptiveness
• histrionics
• hand-wringing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of phlegm

And if salt and water start to move, so, too, does the phlegm that has been sitting dehydrated in the lungs of CF patients. — Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026

Population surveys also link vaping to chronic cough, phlegm, bronchitis, shortness of breath, asthma flares and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—or COPD. — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2026

Those sacs of air fill with fluid or pus, causing a cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills and trouble breathing, according to the clinic. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 16 Oct. 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