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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On long flights, your legs tend to swell, leading to discomfort, cramping, and even numbness— but a good pair of compression leggings, like this pick from CompressionZ, can prevent those symptoms.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Sep. 2025
-
A lot of numbness to be perfectly honest.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And by the time Bob finally reaches the border of that emptiness, the actor playing him no longer feels the least bit absent from himself.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
26 Sep. 2025
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Despite its emptiness, Termessos is easy to reach.—
Barry Neild,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Their works push back against the coldness of technology, asserting presence, autonomy, and creative resistance.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
24 Sep. 2025
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Thematically, this episode is awash in the color blue itself, which many fans interpret as symbolizing coldness and detachment from the music industry.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Disengagement is rarely born out of mere apathy.—
Eyal Benishti,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Rather than the authoritarian spectacle that liberals had anticipated, the festivities seemed to be more a demonstration of political fatigue and civic apathy.—
Seth Harp,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phlegm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phlegm. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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