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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Phlegmatic

/flɛɡˈmætɪk/ · adjective

Meaning

Not easily excited to action or passion; calm; sluggish..

Definitions by Sense

  1. Not easily excited to action or passion; calm; sluggish.
  2. Generating, causing, or full of phlegm.
  3. One who has a phlegmatic disposition.

Example Sentences

2013, A.O. Scott, “How It Looks to Think: Watch Her,” Rev. of Hannah Arendt, dir. by Margarethe von Trotta, New York Times 29 May 2013: C1. Print. Their friendship (immortalized in a splendid volume of letters that has clearly served as one of Ms. von Trotta's sources) is a fascinating study in cultural and temperamental contrast, an impulsive and witty American paired with a steady, phlegmatic German.
Calm and phlegmatic, with a clear eye, Mr. Fogg seemed a perfect type of that English composure which Angelica Kauffmann has so skilfully represented on canvas.
Near-synonyms: phlegmish, phlegmy
phlegmatic humors
a phlegmatic constitution
cold and phlegmatic bodies

Synonyms for phlegmatic

apatheticcold-bloodedphlegmishunflappablestoicadiaphroisticapathisticalblaséblithedeafcoolshiftlessdispassionatedullenervatedgallionichalfheartedheartlessimpassiveineffervescibleinsouciantindifferentinsensiblejadedlanguidlanguorousLaodiceanlethargiclistlesslackadaisical

Antonyms for phlegmatic

Related Words

unemotionalphlegmaticalpensivephilosophicalphlegmaticklogylethargiclanguidslowphlegmishlazyheavytorpiddullsluggishlethargicalslow-wittedsullenlentitudinouslymphatic

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does phlegmatic mean?

Phlegmatic means Not easily excited to action or passion; calm; sluggish..

What is a synonym for phlegmatic?

Common synonyms include apathetic, cold-blooded, phlegmish, unflappable.

What is the opposite of phlegmatic?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use phlegmatic in a sentence?

2013, A.O. Scott, “How It Looks to Think: Watch Her,” Rev. of Hannah Arendt, dir. by Margarethe von Trotta, New York Times 29 May 2013: C1. Print. Their friendship (immortalized in a splendid volume of letters that has clearly served as one of Ms. von Trotta's sources) is a fascinating study in cultural and temperamental contrast, an impulsive and witty American paired with a steady, phlegmatic German.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.