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

informal : 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 of balmy

• temperate
• sunny
• mild

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

Skies should be mostly clear Saturday night, but balmy south winds will continue to keep overnight temperatures above 62 degrees before dawn Sunday. —Roberto Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 21 Mar. 2026

They’re headed to a major global tourist destination — a city with beautiful beaches and balmy weather — for the school’s spring break. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2026

Ahead of the week’s worst heat, some Bay Area residents voyaged outside to enjoy the sun and unseasonably balmy conditions. —Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026

Best Time to Visit Thanks to California's balmy weather, there's never really a bad time to visit Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. —Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see balm

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for balmy

• brahmi
• commie
• mommy
• palmy
• rami
• saami
• swami
• swamy
• tommy
• salami
• tatami
• thalami

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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