George A. Parks
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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
Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
In rural Saginaw County, votes for Trump, Haley and Biden
In the village of Chesaning, in southern Saginaw County, voting was steady early Tuesday morning amid balmy weather at the Chesaning Township hall.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2024
Chiefs fans can expect balmy weather for the Super Bowl parade, with a high of 62 degrees.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
That still leaves the cast and performances to enjoy, which isn’t nothing, and might qualify as a guilty pleasure for those unperturbed by a show with roughly the substance of a balmy breeze.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
After what has seemingly felt like a balmy winter thus far, single-digit and below-zero temperatures are heading this way.
—Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024
Still, chilly is chilly, and there’s nothing as comforting for lunch or dinner when the temps are well below balmy than a bowl of soup.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2024
This included a balmy 57-degree reading in Minneapolis Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, beating the previous record of 51 degrees.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
More:Mild Michigan winters could have consequences for crops, gardens, wildlife
Klein said March is a transition month, when balmy days or blasts of snow are always possible.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'balmy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Balmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balmy. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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