(of a person) having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition
example
The phlegmatic British character
synonyms
self-controlledcalmcoolapathetic
word origin — Middle English (in the sense ‘relating to the humor phlegm’): from Old French fleumatique, via Latin from Greek phlegmatikos, from phlegma ‘inflammation’ (see phlegm)
Proficient — Set 59
Set 59 of Proficient covers 5 words: phlegmatic, redolent, wary, parsimonious, extant. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
phlegmatic · adjective/fleɡˈmadik/
(of a person) having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition
The phlegmatic British character
Synonyms: self-controlled, calm, cool, apathetic
Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘relating to the humor phlegm’): from Old French fleumatique, via Latin from Greek phlegmatikos, from phlegma ‘inflammation’ (see phlegm)
redolent · adjective/ˈrɛd.əl.ənt/
strongly reminiscent or suggestive of something
The old house was redolent of memories from my childhood.
Synonyms: evocative, suggestive, reminiscent
Origin: from Latin 'redolentem', the present participle of 'redolere' meaning 'to emit a smell' or 'to be fragrant'.
wary · adjective/ˈwɛri/
cautious and careful about potential dangers or problems
She was wary of the dog because it looked angry.
Synonyms: cautious, careful, alert
Origin: Middle English, from Old English 'warig', meaning 'aware, cautious'
parsimonious · adjective/ˌpɑr.səˈmoʊ.ni.əs/
excessively frugal or stingy
My parsimonious uncle won't spend money on anything important, not even food.
Synonyms: stingy, cheap, frugal
Origin: from Latin 'parsimonia', meaning 'thrift, frugality', derived from 'parcus' meaning 'sparing, frugal'
extant · adjective/ɪkˈstænt/
still in existence or surviving
The museum has the only extant copy of the ancient manuscript.
Synonyms: existing, current, alive
Origin: From Latin 'extantem', present participle of 'extare', meaning 'to stand out, to exist'.