phlegmatic
/flɛɡˈmætɪk/adjective, noun
phlegmatic is spelled P-H-L-E-G-M-A-T-I-C: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 87,317th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, phlegmatic means “Not easily excited to action or passion; calm; sluggish” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in phlegmatic?
| Letters | 10: P-H-L-E-G-M-A-T-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 87,317th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is phlegmatic?
Phlegmatic appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 87,317th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce phlegmatic?
- /flɛɡˈmætɪk/
Phlegmatic has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-phlegmatic.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of phlegmatic
- more phlegmatic comparative
- most phlegmatic superlative
- phlegmatick
- phlegmaticke
- phlegmatique
- phlegmatics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does phlegmatic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Not easily excited to action or passion; calm; sluggish.
- 2
Generating, causing, or full of phlegm.
Near-synonyms: phlegmish, phlegmy
noun
- 1
One who has a phlegmatic disposition.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Phlegmatic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense not easily excited to action:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | flegmatique |
| German | phlegmatisch |
| Portuguese | fleumático |
| Spanish | flemático, flegmático (disused) |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does phlegmatic come from?
From Middle English fleumatik, flewmatik, flematik, fleumatyke, flewmatyk, from Old French fleumatique, from Latin phlegmaticus, from Ancient Greek φλεγματικός (phlegmatikós), from φλέγμα (phlégma), referring to the humour which ancient Hippocratic and later Galenic medicine associated with mildness, coldness, sluggishness, and indifference. Spelling later altered to resemble the word's Latin and Greek roots, with modern pronunciation following this new spelling.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).