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 adverb
balminess 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.

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 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 After a balmy February and start to March, late-week rains are expected to cool down the Kansas City area, but not for long. Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 By Friday, temperatures will be balmy, in the low 70s. Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The bounty and curse of social media are its users, and reaction was volcanic across several platforms as the news made its rounds—except on Bluesky, where the overall temperature was one of balmy disinterest. Jason Parham, WIRED, 19 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

see balm

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of balmy was in the 15th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near balmy

Cite this Entry

“Balmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balmy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

balmy

adjective
balmier; balmiest
1
a
: gently soothing
b
: temperate sense 5
balmy weather
2
balmily
ˈbäm-ə-lē How to pronounce balmy (audio)
ˈbäl-mə-
adverb
balminess
ˈbäm-ē-nəs How to pronounce balmy (audio)
ˈbäl-mē-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on balmy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!