phlegmatic
phlegmatic
Definition
phleg·matic (fleg mat′ik)
adjective
- hard to rouse to action; specif.,
- sluggish; dull; apathetic
- calm; cool; stolid
- Obsolete of, like, or producing the humor phlegm
Etymology: ME fleumatike < OFr < LL phlegmaticus < Gr phlegmatikos < phlegma: see phlegm
Also phlegmatical phleg·mat′i·cal
phlegmatic
Synonyms
phlegmatic
modif.
phlegmatic
Usage Examples
Modifies a noun
- humor: Heat is lost from the body in the evaporation of sweat from the skin; sweat being one aspect of the phlegmatic humor.
- temperament: A powerful choleric will not be balanced by a person with a strong phlegmatic temperament.
- character: They could tell the great vise of cruelty from a deeply wrinkled brow, or a phlegmatic character from a fat blowen visage.
- type: Quote: there must be some purpose to the phlegmatic type.
Modifying Another Word
- normally: Even the normally phlegmatic Wolff was grinning like a maniac.
- so: They understood our problems and knew we had done our best. Would people be so phlegmatic nowadays?
- too: One can only hope that Britain is too phlegmatic for the kind of tactics they favor.
Used with adjective complement
- remain: However, he remains phlegmatic: " The whole Masterprize experience was a huge positive for me.
Browse dictionary entries near phlegmatic
- phlegm
- Phlegethon
- phlebotomy
- phlebotomizing
- phlebotomized
- phlebotomize
- phlebotomist
- phlebosclerosis
- phlebology
- phlebologist
- phlegmatical
- phlegmatically
- phlegmier
- phlegmiest
- phlegmy
- Phlm
- phloem
- phloem ray
- phlogistic
- phlogiston
