balmy
Americanadjective
-
(of weather) mild and pleasant
-
having the qualities of balm; fragrant or soothing
-
a variant spelling of barmy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of balmy
Explanation
Tourists who flock from Minnesota to Florida in the wintertime are hoping for balmy weather — that is, those frosty Midwesterners are trading mountains of snow and freezing winds for warm sun and gentle breezes. ChapStick and nice weather might not seem to have much in common, but consider this: Both are soothing and restorative. The adjective balmy is, indeed, related to the noun balm (as in "lip balm") and both share a wonderfully rich etymology: Balm made its way from Hebrew to English via Greek, Latin, and Old French. Just as the noun is used in the names of aromatic unguents and plants with healing properties, the adjective balmy is used to describe weather so pleasant that it's positively therapeutic.
Vocabulary lists containing balmy
The Sweltering Words of Summer
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Othello
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Outside, balmy and natural, inside things turned freezing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The shocking incident barely registered in the US news, dominated that balmy July 2 night by the wedding of pop superstar Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden on the other side of Manhattan.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
There has, arguably, never been a more impactful substitute double-act than Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on a balmy Barcelona evening in 1999.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Florida, with its high concentration of wealth, no state income tax, pro-business policies and balmy weather, has drawn an unusually large number of disaffected California tech moguls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
The ground is spongy with melted snow and rain, but today is one of those rare, almost balmy days that hint at the glorious summer ahead.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Unfortunately, the same draws that make it a walkable gawk for touristas of every stripe makes it a frustrating exercise in perambulation for locals — kind of like New York’s Times Square with balmier weather.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2024
In places like North America, the balmier climate means more pockets of water in the glaciers, which can thwart radar measurements.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2022
And that was balmier than had been predicted.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 2, 2022
Weather patterns can change because the colder poles warm faster than balmier lower latitudes.
From Economist ● Jul. 28, 2018
The air is decidedly balmier, but that's not all; there's a kind of buzzing energy.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
Residents in Warsaw enjoyed the balmiest start to the year since 1999, with a high of 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2023
In London, where the lifting of restrictions coincided with the balmiest weather of the summer, sunbathers near Liverpool Station voiced a mixture of relief and anxiety as the country ventured into uncharted territory.
From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2021
Their last studio album, 2011′s Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, piped up with some of the balmiest major key tunes Mogwai’s crafted to date.
From Time ● Jan. 24, 2014
There are also, intercut with fact, many of the best and balmiest fictions of the time: James Cagney, ever brash and streetwise, pushing mugs around; King Kong poking his head up through the el tracks.
From Time Magazine Archive
The balmiest winds blowing soft where she steers, The favor of heaven illuming her path-- She might sail as she pleased to the mild summer airs, And avoid the dread regions of tempest and wrath.
From War Poetry of the South by Various
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
