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Phlegmatic

Having a calm, unemotional, and unruffled demeanor; not easily excited or upset.

adjective

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Imagine This

Picture a composed referee in a chaotic stadium, keeping a straight face and steady voice while players argue and the crowd roars around them.

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Sounds Like

/ˈflɛɡˌmætɪk/ (fleg-MAT-ik)

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Looks Like

phlegm + atic (looks like the word 'phlegm' with the common -atic suffix)

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Remember This

The term comes from the humoral theory of ancient medicine, where phlegm was one of the four humors associated with a calm, cool temperament.

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Other Forms

phlegmaticallyadverb

phlegmatismnoun

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Connect With

calm, collected, stoic, impassive, imperturbable, reserved

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Note

Do not confuse with 'phlegm' (the mucus) or with 'phlegmy' in the literal sense. Phlegmatic describes temperament or demeanor, not a medical condition. Often used to describe people who are collected and unflustered rather than cold or indifferent.

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Study Deeper

Examples

Despite the chaos around him, he remained phlegmatic and continued explaining the plan.
Her phlegmatic reaction to the crisis surprised her coworkers who expected panic.

Synonyms

calmunemotionalstoicimpassiveimperturbable

Antonyms

emotionalexcitabletemperamental

Etymology

From Latin phlegmaticus, from Greek phlegmatikos, from phlegma 'phlegm' (the phlegm humor in ancient physiology) + -ikos; via Latin and Middle English into English.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic: phlegmatic = phlegm + atic. Imagine a calm statue made of phlegm that stays perfectly still and unmoved; the 'phlegm-atic' figure is cool and collected.