balmy

play

adjective \ ˈbä-mē , ˈbäl-mē \

Definition of balmy

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

play \-mə-lē\ adverb

—

balminess

play \-mē-nəs\ noun

See balmy defined for English-language learners

See balmy defined for kids

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 of balmy from the Web

Compared with Bergen’s rugged terroir, the area around Copenhagen, the birthplace of New Nordic, is as bright and balmy as the South of France.

— julia moskin, New York Times, "North of Nordic: A Young Chef Invents ‘Neo-Fjordic’ Cuisine," 18 July 2017
Wearing a pair of Zanzan sunglasses on the sunny, balmy day, Middleton dressed for the event in a pale green dress by Tephi with shoulder cutouts.

— vanityfair.com, "Pippa Middleton Gives the Cold Shoulder at Wimbledon," 11 July 2017
In Chinese Traditional Medicine, consuming dog meat is believed to ward off the heat in the balmy midsummer.

— ryan kilpatrick, Time, "Activists in China Saved 1,000 Animals From Slaughter Ahead of an Annual Dog Meat Festival," 21 June 2017
As Angels right-hander JC Ramirez racked up six strikeouts in the first two innings of an eventual 7-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, the effort required to finish off those hitters on a balmy 84-degree afternoon rose exponentially.

— mike digiovanna, latimes.com, "JC Ramirez, Angels get lit up by the Royals 7-3," 18 June 2017
In that balmy glow of self-regard, complacency can easily take root.

— parul seghal, The Atlantic, "Arundhati Roy’s Fascinating Mess," 17 June 2017
Ultimately, 89 people were sickened—all after bathing in an unusually balmy Baltic.

— National Geographic, "Climate Change Pushing Tropical Diseases Toward Arctic," 14 June 2017
Kate St. John sat alone at a table in the Wine Bin parking lot on a balmy Saturday afternoon, watching her boyfriend sing to wandering customers at the Ellicott City Farmers Market.

— mina haq, Howard County Times, "As online options grow, Howard farmers markets continue to attract shoppers," 14 June 2017
Also appealing is this area’s balmy climate, welcoming people and — by California standards — low cost of living.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "In Rosarito Beach, American residents feel the Trump effect," 11 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'balmy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.