balmy

adjective

ˈbä-mē  ˈbäl-mē 

balmier; balmiest

1

a

: having the qualities of balm : soothing

… 'tis a soldier's life to have their balmy slumbers wak'd with strife.

—Shakespeare

b

: mild, temperate

balmy weather

a balmy summer evening

2

: lacking reason or mental soundness : foolish, irrational

… he is now likely to feel that a rather large part of the country has gone slightly balmy.

—George A. Parks

balmily

ˈbä(l)-mə-lē 

adverb

balminess

ˈbä(l)-mē-nəs 

noun

Did you know?

Aromatic ointments and fragrances are the bomb. They are also, literally, balms: healing substances and soothing scents with the power to ease both mind and body. The original balm, what Latin-speakers referred to as balsamum, was the oleoresin of a species of balsam tree. In Anglo-French, balsamum became basme and baume, spellings which entered Middle English and later became balm. Balm eventually begat the adjective balmy, used to describe things with a balm’s comforting, calming qualities, as when Shakespeare’s Othello speaks of “balmy slumbers.” Today balmy is typically used to describe the weather—balmy breezes, balmy temperatures, balmy spring afternoons, et al—conditions that are neither too hot nor too cold, but just right—Goldilocks conditions, even.

Synonyms

• barmy [chiefly British]
• bats
• batty
• bedlam
• bonkers
• brainsick
• bughouse [slang]
• certifiable
• crackbrained
• cracked
• crackers
• crackpot
• cranky [dialect]
• crazed
• crazy
• cuckoo
• daffy
• daft
• demented
• deranged
• fruity [slang]
• gaga
• haywire
• insane
• kooky
• kookie
• loco [slang]
• loony
• looney
• loony tunes
• looney tunes
• lunatic
• mad
• maniacal
• maniac
• mental
• meshuga
• meshugge
• meshugah
• meshuggah
• moonstruck
• non compos mentis
• nuts
• nutty
• psycho
• psychotic
• scatty [chiefly British]
• screwy
• unbalanced
• unhinged
• unsound
• wacko
• whacko
• wacky
• whacky
• wud [chiefly Scottish]

Examples of balmy in a Sentence

a completely balmy but harmless old man who talked intently to plants and believed they answered back

a pleasant, balmy breeze was all that stirred the wildflowers growing near the shore

Recent Examples on the Web

The 1,500 guests who arrived at the Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills on a balmy mid-October evening had to pass a squadron of armed guards, go through a metal detector, and have their IDs checked before taking their seats inside the Saban Theater. —Alex Ben Block, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Nov. 2024

The president told staff and reporters gathered on a balmy day in the Rose Garden that the impact of the measure would be felt for years to come. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2024

Enjoy it by the pool on a balmy Sicilian afternoon, or at night while sitting outside of your villa, gazing up at the faint red glow of Etna’s crater. —Liam Hess, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron showed up just before the clean sweep, with Joris Daudet taking the top podium spot and sending this Gallic crowd into ecstasy on a balmy night. —Larissa Gao, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see balm

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

balmy

adjective

ˈbäm-ē  ˈbäl-mē 

balmier; balmiest

1

a

: gently soothing

b

: temperate sense 5

balmy weather

2

: foolish, absurd

balmily

ˈbäm-ə-lē 

ˈbäl-mə-

adverb

balminess

ˈbäm-ē-nəs 

ˈbäl-mē-

noun