Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

balmy

/ˈbɑmi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.70 in modern English

Syllables: balmy
IPA: /ˈbɑmi/

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Producing balm.

adj

Soothing or fragrant.

adj

Of weather, mild and pleasant.

adj

Foolish; slightly crazy or mad; eccentric.

American usage; Informal

Example Sentences

"The new mass hysteria is known as the Pyramid Club and began—like so many other strange and wonderful notions—somewhere under the balmy skies of California."
"I'm going away. He's off his chump, he is. I dont want no balmies teaching me."
"'I reckon he's balmy,' Claud said, and Bert grinned darkly, rolling his misty eye slowly round in its socket."

Etymology

From balm + -y. Piecewise doublet of balsamic.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: balm

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbɑmi/
British English: /ˈbɑːmi/

Usage

American usage
Informal

Inflected Forms

balmier (comparative) balmiest (superlative)

Derived Forms

balmify balmily balminess barmy unbalmy

Synonyms

barmy mild soft bats batty bonkers buggy cracked crackers daft dotty fruity

Rhymes With

tommy mommy tsunami ami swami rami commie salami murakami tommie pastrami minami

Questions

How do you pronounce balmy?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɑmi/.
What does balmy mean?: Producing balm.
Where does balmy come from?: From balm + -y. Piecewise doublet of balsamic.

How to pronounce balmy

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “balmy”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɑmi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “balmy”.
Repeat and practice — Say “balmy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.