balmy

adjective

ˈbä-mē

ˈbäl-mē

balmier; balmiest

: having the qualities of balm : soothing

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

Shakespeare

: mild, temperate

balmy weather

a balmy summer evening

: crazy, foolish

the country has gone slightly balmy

G. A. Parks

balmily

ˈbä(l)-mə-lē How to pronounce balmy (audio)

adverb

balminess

ˈbä(l)-mē-nəs How to pronounce balmy (audio)

noun

Did you know?

It's no secret that balmy is derived from balm, an aromatic ointment or fragrance that heals or soothes. So when did it come to mean "foolish," you might wonder? Balmy goes back to the 15th century and was often used in contexts referring to weather, such as "a balmy breeze" or, as Mark Twain wrote in Tom Sawyer, "The balmy summer air, the restful quiet...." Around the middle of the 19th century, it developed a new sense suggesting a weak or unbalanced mind. It is uncertain if the soft quality or the soothing effect of balm influenced this use. But later in the century, balmy became altered to barmy in its "crazy" sense. This alteration may have come about from a mix-up with another barmy, meaning "full of froth or ferment." That barmy is from barm, a term for the yeast formed on fermenting malt liquors, which can indeed make one act balmy.

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]

See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 San Francisco and Oakland will be balmy with temperatures reaching 82 and 90, respectively, in the late afternoon.

Sarah Ravani, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 June 2022 The temperature is balmy, my skin still damp from a dip in my private rooftop plunge pool.

Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 7 June 2022 Christened on a balmy Friday afternoon ahead of Monterey Car Week, the 40,000-square-foot facility is a slice of nirvana for anyone remotely touched by old school automotive nostalgia.

Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2022 The vice president was present on a balmy June evening, where Innovation Fund grantees dined on crab cakes and traded philosophies about public safety.

Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2022 On a balmy Friday night in May, fans jostled at a Sound Running meet in San Juan Capistrano to take selfies with Olympic 1,500-meter gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2022 Otherwise, skies will be mostly clear, with balmy low temperatures in the 70s for all of us.

A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 23 July 2022 Meanwhile my family and I packed our bags and headed to the coast -- a balmy 96F -- where traffic jams snaked back to the motorway and the ice cream trucks ran out of the sweet stuff by 10am.

Rosa Prince, CNN, 20 July 2022 In Japan, where air conditioners are widely used, national energy supplies are at hazardously low levels and the government has declared a three-month energy-saving period, asking people to set AC units at a balmy 82°F (27°C).

Sophie Mellor, Fortune, 12 July 2022 See More

单词	balminess
释义	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 : crazy, foolish the country has gone slightly balmy G. A. Parks balmily ˈbä(l)-mə-lē adverb balminess ˈbä(l)-mē-nəs noun Did you know? It's no secret that balmy is derived from balm, an aromatic ointment or fragrance that heals or soothes. So when did it come to mean "foolish," you might wonder? Balmy goes back to the 15th century and was often used in contexts referring to weather, such as "a balmy breeze" or, as Mark Twain wrote in Tom Sawyer, "The balmy summer air, the restful quiet...." Around the middle of the 19th century, it developed a new sense suggesting a weak or unbalanced mind. It is uncertain if the soft quality or the soothing effect of balm influenced this use. But later in the century, balmy became altered to barmy in its "crazy" sense. This alteration may have come about from a mix-up with another barmy, meaning "full of froth or ferment." That barmy is from barm, a term for the yeast formed on fermenting malt liquors, which can indeed make one act balmy. 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] See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences 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 San Francisco and Oakland will be balmy with temperatures reaching 82 and 90, respectively, in the late afternoon. Sarah Ravani, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 June 2022 The temperature is balmy, my skin still damp from a dip in my private rooftop plunge pool. Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 7 June 2022 Christened on a balmy Friday afternoon ahead of Monterey Car Week, the 40,000-square-foot facility is a slice of nirvana for anyone remotely touched by old school automotive nostalgia. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2022 The vice president was present on a balmy June evening, where Innovation Fund grantees dined on crab cakes and traded philosophies about public safety. Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2022 On a balmy Friday night in May, fans jostled at a Sound Running meet in San Juan Capistrano to take selfies with Olympic 1,500-meter gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2022 Otherwise, skies will be mostly clear, with balmy low temperatures in the 70s for all of us. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 23 July 2022 Meanwhile my family and I packed our bags and headed to the coast -- a balmy 96F -- where traffic jams snaked back to the motorway and the ice cream trucks ran out of the sweet stuff by 10am. Rosa Prince, CNN, 20 July 2022 In Japan, where air conditioners are widely used, national energy supplies are at hazardously low levels and the government has declared a three-month energy-saving period, asking people to set AC units at a balmy 82°F (27°C). Sophie Mellor, Fortune, 12 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology see balm First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Kids Definition balmy adjective ˈbä-mē ˈbäl-mē balmier; balmiest : warm, calm, and pleasant a balmy breeze balminess noun as in insanity lack of good sense or judgment only sheer balminess would possess someone to invest in that loser of a stock Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance insanity madness simplicity dottiness craziness absurdity zaniness fatuousness wackiness unwisdom nonsensicalness preposterousness nuttiness witlessness daftness dippiness foolishness dopiness brainlessness imbecility lunacy dullness silliness inanity folly fatuity denseness stupidness obtuseness slowness simpleness stupidity idiocy senselessness asininity dulness oafishness feeblemindedness irrationality dumbness mindlessness unreasonableness vacuity gormlessness simplemindedness ridiculousness doltishness fallacy weirdness kookiness dim-wittedness ludicrousness laughableness Antonyms & Near Antonyms wisdom sanity sagacity soundness prudence sagaciousness sageness sensibleness validity rationality sapience perception reasonableness logicality logicalness insight reasonability discernment rationalness percipience See More
随便看	overchilled overchilling overchills overchurched overchurching overchute overcivilized overclad overclaim overclaimed overclaiming overclaims overclass overclassification overclassifications overclassified overclassifies overclassify overclassifying overclean overcleaned overcleaning overcleans overclear overcleared

balmy

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

noun