Word forms: comparative barmier, superlative barmiest
adjective
If you say that someone or something is barmy, you mean that they are slightly crazy or very foolish.
[British, informal, disapproval]
Bill used to say I was barmy, and that would really get to me.
This policy is absolutely barmy.
...a barmy idea.
Synonyms: stupid, bizarre, foolish, silly More Synonyms of barmy
barmy in British English
(ˈbɑːmɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: -mier or -miest
slang
eccentric or foolish
Also: balmy
Word origin
C16: originally, full of barm, hence frothing, excited, flighty, etc
barmy in American English
(ˈbɑrmi)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈbarmier or ˈbarmiest
1.
full of barm; yeasty or foamy
2. British, Slang
crazy
Examples of 'barmy' in a sentence
barmy
It's time this Government made a stand and refused to implement such a barmy policy.
The Sun (2017)
This barmy policy seems to be a waste of energy.
The Sun (2013)
You will go completely barmy after a day or two.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It was just political correctness gone completely barmy.
The Sun (2007)
And once again this barmy idea that they are a boring team plodding up the field was taken apart.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He it was who conceived the slightly barmy idea of using the Monument as a telescope.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
These are the barmy ideas of overpaid senior officers with topsy-turvy priorities.
The Sun (2015)
I stayed for a year on my own and went absolutely barmy.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
So it's not completely barmy.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
I think it's an absolutely barmy idea.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This barmy idea is policy of governments past and present but will put English gardeners at a disadvantage and export yet more horticulture jobs abroad.
The Sun (2011)
You have a huge following and some popular - if barmy - ideas.
The Sun (2015)
Their barmy idea will arouse fury in the North and South.
The Sun (2008)
Before asking whether it is a barmy idea, let's look at the context.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It was completely barmy to get married at 23. Not the right thing to have done at all.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I haven't gone completely barmy.
The Sun (2015)
Surely the cash spent on this barmy idea could be put to better causes, such as our troops' kit?
The Sun (2009)
He said: 'It is barmy.
The Sun (2014)
A spokeswoman said: 'It was barmy.
The Sun (2008)
Barmy idea - and I was too expensive?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Meanwhile, all over the country, councils are dreaming up new and increasingly barmy ideas to squeeze a few more lumps of money from motorists.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
(slang)
(adjective)
This policy is absolutely barmy.
Synonyms
stupid
I wouldn't call it art. It's just stupid and tasteless.
You won't go and do anything stupid, will you?
bizarre
foolish
How foolish I was not to have seen my doctor earlier.
silly
That's a silly thing to say.
daft (informal)
I wasn't so daft as to believe him.
irresponsible
irrational
an irrational fear of science
senseless
acts of senseless violence
preposterous
The whole idea was preposterous.
impractical
idiotic
What an idiotic thing to say!
inane
He always had this inane grin.
fatuous
That is not a fatuous argument, it has to be taken seriously.
dumb-ass (slang)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of daft
Definition
foolish or crazy
I wasn't so daft as to believe him.
Synonyms
stupid,
simple,
crazy (informal),
silly,
absurd,
foolish,
irrational,
unwise,
senseless,
giddy,
infantile,
goofy,
foolhardy,
idiotic,
inane,
fatuous,
loopy (informal),
witless,
crackpot (informal),
out to lunch (informal),
dopey (informal),
puerile,
imprudent,
scatty (British, informal),
asinine,
gonzo (slang),
imbecilic,
doolally (slang),
off your head (informal),
off your trolley (slang),
up the pole (informal),
dumb-ass (slang),
wacko or whacko (slang, old-fashioned),
off the air (Australian, slang)
in the sense of fatuous
Definition
foolish, inappropriate, and showing no thought
That is not a fatuous argument, it has to be taken seriously.
Synonyms
foolish,
stupid,
silly,
dull,
absurd,
dense,
ludicrous,
mindless,
idiotic,
vacuous,
inane,
witless,
puerile,
brainless,
asinine,
weak-minded,
dumb-ass (slang)
in the sense of foolish
Definition
very silly, unwise, or absurd
How foolish I was not to have seen my doctor earlier.