Meanings
comparative balmier · superlative balmiest
- Producing balm.
- USinformalFoolish; slightly crazy or mad; eccentric.
I'm going away. He's off his chump, he is. I dont want no balmies teaching me.
1912 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act II, page 1251 more example
'I reckon he's balmy,' Claud said, and Bert grinned darkly, rolling his misty eye slowly round in its socket.
1958 April 1, Roald Dahl, “Parson's Pleasure”, in Esquire, page 148Synonyms: barmy
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveFoolish; slightly crazy or mad; eccentric.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveinformal or slang terms for mentally irregular
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From balm + -y. Piecewise doublet of balsamic.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian ароматичен, уханен
- ароматичен (aromatičen)soothing or fragrant
- уханен (uhanen)soothing or fragrant
- мек (mek)mild and pleasant
- нежен (nežen)mild and pleasant
- смахнат (smahnat)colloquial: foolish
Chinese Mandarin 温暖惬意的
- 温暖惬意的mild and pleasant
Czech vonný, vlahý
- vonnýsoothing or fragrant
- vlahýmild and pleasant
- trhlýcolloquial: foolish
- střelenýcolloquial: foolish
Danish balsamisk, balsamisk
- balsamisksoothing or fragrant
- balsamiskmild and pleasant
Finnish leppoisa, rauhoittava
- leppoisasoothing or fragrant
- rauhoittavasoothing or fragrant
- tuoksuvasoothing or fragrant
- leppeämild and pleasant
- lempeämild and pleasant
- leutomild and pleasant
- hämycolloquial: foolish
French embaumant, suave
- embaumantsoothing or fragrant
- suavesoothing or fragrant
- douxmild and pleasant
- agréablemild and pleasant
- cintrécolloquial: foolish
- foucolloquial: foolish
- bizarrecolloquial: foolish
German lindernd, mildernd
- linderndsoothing or fragrant
- milderndsoothing or fragrant
- sanftsoothing or fragrant
- mildmild and pleasant
- sanftmild and pleasant
Hungarian balzsamos, illatos
- balzsamossoothing or fragrant
- illatossoothing or fragrant
- balzsamosmild and pleasant
- enyhemild and pleasant
- bolondoscolloquial: foolish
- hóbortoscolloquial: foolish
Irish balsamach, balsamach
- balsamachsoothing or fragrant
- balsamachmild and pleasant
- séimhmild and pleasant
Māori tūāhuru
- tūāhurumild and pleasant
Polish balsamiczny, kojący
- balsamicznysoothing or fragrant
- kojącysoothing or fragrant
- łagodnymild and pleasant
- stukniętycolloquial: foolish
- zbzikowanycolloquial: foolish
- zwariowanycolloquial: foolish
Russian арома́тный, благоуханный
- арома́тный (aromátnyj)soothing or fragrant
- благоуханный (blagouxannyj)soothing or fragrant
- не́жный (néžnyj)mild and pleasant
Scottish Gaelic cùbhraidh
- cùbhraidhsoothing or fragrant
Tamil குணப்படுத்தத் தக்க, மென்மையான
- குணப்படுத்தத் தக்க (kuṇappaṭuttat takka)soothing or fragrant
- மென்மையான (meṉmaiyāṉa)soothing or fragrant
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with balmy
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
balmy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balmy
“balmy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balmy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “balmy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balmy.
Source: balmy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.