balmy

[ bah-mee ]
See synonyms for balmy on Thesaurus.com
adjective,balm·i·er, balm·i·est.
  1. mild and refreshing; soft; soothing: balmy weather.

  2. having the qualities of balm; aromatic; fragrant: balmy leaves.

  1. producing balm: balmy plants; a balmy shrub.

  2. Informal. crazy; foolish; eccentric.

Origin of balmy

1
First recorded in 1490–1500; balm + -y1

Other words for balmy

Other words from balmy

  • balm·i·ly, adverb
  • balm·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use balmy in a sentence

  • There was a deceptive balminess in the air that seemed merely to overlay a penetrating chilliness.

    Turn About Eleanor | Ethel M. Kelley
  • The day was now rapidly waning, bringing on a balminess of evening such as is found in few places other than Naples.

  • In this tranquil town, almost voluptuous in its richness of colour and balminess of atmosphere, you lose yourself in laziness.

    Brittany | Mortimer Menpes and Dorothy Menpes
  • Everything seemed frosty and pinched, just as the cutting air did after the warm balminess of California.

    The Turtles of Tasman | Jack London
  • It was of no use, sleep forsook his eyes, although he was so tired that he longed for its balminess.

British Dictionary definitions for balmy

balmy

/ (ˈbɑːmɪ) /


adjectivebalmier or balmiest
  1. (of weather) mild and pleasant

  2. having the qualities of balm; fragrant or soothing

  1. a variant spelling of barmy

Derived forms of balmy

  • balmily, adverb
  • balminess, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012