as in numbness
a lack of emotion or emotional expressiveness
a man of remarkable phlegm, never showing enthusiasm nor displeasure
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of phlegm
Common causes of brown phlegm include smoking, exposure to toxins or pollutants in the air, cystic fibrosis, and bacterial lung infections.
—
Mark Gurarie, Health, 15 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for phlegm
Mark Gurarie, Health, 15 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for phlegm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phlegm
Noun
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Symptoms of the more serious illness include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis, according to the CDC.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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The persistent emptiness of what might have been.—
Aisha Muharrar,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
2 Oct. 2025
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That’s because Horton’s emptiness is felt downtown wide.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 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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The resulting apathy among fans, however, has yet to affect the players themselves — at least that’s what was said publicly.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
6 Oct. 2025
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As anger fades into apathy and grief is aggravated by guilt, the public also chooses silence.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phlegm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phlegm. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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