phlegmatic

phlegmatic
American 

[fleg-mat-ik]
/ fl;g;m;t ;k /
Also phlegmatical
adjective
not easily excited to action or display of emotion; apathetic; sluggish.

Synonyms:
torpid, dull, uninterested, cold, cool, stoical
self-possessed, calm, or composed.

Synonyms:
quiet, placid, unruffled, collected, cool
of the nature of or abounding in the humor phlegm.

Phlegmatic: Word of the Day
21
Play Video




Ad: 1 of 1 (3)
Skip Ad
phlegmatic
British 
/ fl;;;m;t;k /
adjective
having a stolid or unemotional disposition

not easily excited

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms
phlegmatically adverb
phlegmaticalness noun
phlegmaticness noun
unphlegmatic adjective
unphlegmatical adjective
unphlegmatically adverb
Etymology
Origin of phlegmatic
1300–50; < Late Latin phlegmaticus < Greek phlegmatik;s pertaining to phlegm, equivalent to phlegmat- (stem of phl;gma phlegm ) + -ikos -ic; replacing Middle English fleumatik < Middle French fleumatique < Late Latin, as above

Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The fact that credit markets had been at record-tight levels running into the Iranian war heightens the vulnerability of credit markets, although Bergeron did acknowledge the market reaction thus far has been phlegmatic.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Logo link to MarketWatch
Under his guidance, the British people came to see themselves as the phlegmatic and resolute defenders of their island home, the latest in a great line of underdog warriors.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 8, 2024

Logo link to Seattle Times
But, unlike many I spoke to in the north, this phlegmatic and jovial farmer does think a wider war can be averted.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2024

Logo link to BBC
The real winner was a man who wasn’t there: McConnell, the phlegmatic leader of the nonanarchic Senate GOP.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2023

Logo link to Los Angeles Times
They are anything but a phlegmatic people, yet they are obdurate, they are pertinacious, they finish plastering joints.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin