phlegm

noun

ˈflem How to pronounce phlegm (audio)
Definition of phlegmnext
as in numbness
a lack of emotion or emotional expressiveness a man of remarkable phlegm, never showing enthusiasm nor displeasure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of phlegm And if salt and water start to move, so, too, does the phlegm that has been sitting dehydrated in the lungs of CF patients. — Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026 Population surveys also link vaping to chronic cough, phlegm, bronchitis, shortness of breath, asthma flares and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—or COPD. — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2026 Those sacs of air fill with fluid or pus, causing a cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills and trouble breathing, according to the clinic. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2025 The second is having either 10 or more pack years of smoking, or symptoms of cough, phlegm and trouble breathing. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for phlegm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phlegm
  1. numbness
  2. emptiness
  3. coldness
  4. apathy
Noun
  • The Massachusetts mother asked to change her medications nearly every day, saying the drugs were causing intrusive thoughts, insomnia and numbness, said one of her other providers, Rebecca Jollotta.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • This postpartum depression became the condition under which which her addiction escalated, as Panettiere described needing a rush dopamine or something else to break through the numbness.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of numbness
Noun
  • The problem isn’t the characterization, since the surgeon is extremely well drawn and Văncică’s performance picks up on both the overall inner emptiness and the yearning for something more.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
  • If the early universe obeyed this rule, our modern cosmos would be devoid of substance, just energy fields rippling eternally through emptiness.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of emptiness
Noun
  • The danger occurs if that ruthlessness veers into institutional coldness.
    — James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The music recalled the angst and coldness of Carpenter’s movie scores but with more robust arrangements, buttressed by Davies’ guitar.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of coldness
Noun
  • McGilvray also thinks apathy will be widespread for this special primary so the local Republican Party is trying to get word out.
    — Debbie Elliott, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Most appalling to Graham is our collective inertia, not to say apathy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of apathy

Browse Nearby Words

phishers
phlegm
phlegmatic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Phlegm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phlegm. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on phlegm

Nglish: Translation of phlegm for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about phlegm

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