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

Crash!’ After weeks of icy temperatures in the region, Wednesday night felt comparatively balmy. —Ray Sanchez and Chelsea Bailey, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025

Though not warm by any stretch, the relatively balmy temps would be a welcome break from last week’s deep freeze. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025

And Primus seems to have optimized the Ulti design in a way that stands above the average infrared stove, which might be overkill for a balmy mid-summer camping trip but could prove absolutely vital on an Arctic expedition or multi-night ski mountaineering journey. —New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2025

The Apuan Alps shelter this part of the Tuscan coast, known as Versilia, from harsh weather, and wealthy Italian families flocked here as much for its balmy climate as for its superb sandy shores and high-end beach clubs. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 25 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see balm

First Known Use

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

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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