phlegmish

Adjective

phlegmish (comparative more phlegmish, superlative most phlegmish)

1. Laden with phlegm, as a cough.
   • His front legs doubled under him, and he lay down, his nose in his own water, biting the phlegmish froth and dust around his mouth and gaping like a stuffed animal in a taxidermist's window.1976, Edward Dahlberg, Bottom Dogs, From Flushing to Calvary, Those who Perish, and Hitherto Unpublished and Uncollected Works
   • This was plainly apparent with solo piano recordings; it seemed as if a layer of phlegmish tubercular congestion had been removed from between the strings.2001, Stereophile, volume 24, numbers 7-12, page 123

   Synonyms:

   phlegmy

2. Characterized by the humor phlegm; apathetic or composed.
   • His concern soothed her and she breathed heavily, densely, with a thick phlegmish pity for herself.1966, The American Writer and the Great Depression, page 292
   • I was raised among them, though I fled their phlegmish company decades ago to join the chattering classes.2002, Briton Hadden, Henry Robinson Luce, Time, volume 160, page 72

   Synonyms:

   phlegmatic