ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPphlegmatic
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phlegmatic
Meaning: calm and unemotional, even in difficult situations
phlegmatic in a sentence
How phlegmatic is used in real sentences:
The phlegmatic pilot calmly reviewed the controls as the storm approached.
Her phlegmatic response to the sudden defeat steadied the rest of the team.
“Ibarra remained phlegmatic as the alarm spread, recording each route with steady hands and an unchanged expression.”
— from the passage The Tremor Above
“Across the aisle, the stage manager watched in phlegmatic silence, recording each mistake without a sigh.”
— from the passage The Chair at Center Stage
Synonyms for phlegmatic
Other words for phlegmatic — impassive, stolid and unemotional — carry the same meaning.
- impassive
- stolid
- unemotional
Antonyms of phlegmatic
Words that mean the opposite of phlegmatic:
- excitable
- emotional
- volatile
Where it comes from
From Greek phlegma, one of the four supposed bodily humors.
Memory hook
PHLEGMATIC sounds slow and heavy: nothing seems to disturb its calm.
Practice phlegmatic in the app