barmy

[ bahr-mee ]

/ ˈbɑr mi /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for barmy on Thesaurus.com

adjective, barm·i·er, barm·i·est.

containing or resembling barm; frothy.

British Slang. balmy (def. 4).

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of barmy

1525–35; barm + -y¹; def. 2 probably respelling of balmy by r-less speakers

Words nearby barmy

barm cake, Barmecidal, Barmecide, Barmen, bar mitzvah, barmy, barn, Barnabas, Barnaby, barnacle, barnacle goose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use barmy in a sentence

If to many it also seemed barmy, it was a flamboyant, newsworthy sort of barminess.
The Best of Brit Lit|Peter Stothard|April 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
None of them except Barmy Sid once visited his rooms; nor did he find it at all easy to strike up even a staircase acquaintance.
Sinister Street, vol. 2|Compton Mackenzie
I've got a sort of a paralytic stroke running up and down my arm fit to drive anybody barmy.
Carnival|Compton Mackenzie
Well, then, hall Hi can say his hit sounds like barmy Yankee nonsense to me.
The Glory of The Coming|Irvin S. Cobb

"Of course, I know you were a bit barmy before you came here, and don't remember anything about it," he went on to say.
Upsidonia|Archibald Marshall
It seemed to me a very rummy thing that Tom should have any idea that I was supposed to have been what he called barmy.
Upsidonia|Archibald Marshall

British Dictionary definitions for barmy

barmy

/ (ˈbɑːmɪ) /

adjective -mier or -miest

slang eccentric or foolishAlso: balmy

Word Origin for barmy

C16: originally, full of barm, hence frothing, excited, flighty, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

barmy

Origin of barmy

Words nearby barmy

Words related to barmy

How to use barmy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for barmy

Word Origin for barmy