barmy C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈbɑrmi/ UK /ˈbɑːmi/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj crazy or foolish (chiefly British); frothy with yeast You'd be barmy to go swimming in this freezing weather. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · crazy or foolish (chiefly... crazyfoolishdaftloonysillyfrothyyeasty ↔ Opposites sanesensible Word family Related forms barm Etymology AI details From barm ('the froth on fermenting malt liquor', Old English beorma), with the slang sense 'crazy' arising from frothiness; partly conflated with balmy. beorma Old English *bʰermen Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # barmy **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbɑrmi/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbɑːmi/ ## Meanings 1. crazy or foolish (chiefly British); frothy with yeast ## Examples - You'd be barmy to go swimming in this freezing weather. ## Synonyms - crazy - foolish - daft - loony - silly - frothy - yeasty ## Antonyms - sane - sensible ## Related Forms - barm ## Roots and Affixes - Root: beorma - Root: *bʰermen ## Etymology From barm ('the froth on fermenting malt liquor', Old English beorma), with the slang sense 'crazy' arising from frothiness; partly conflated with balmy. ## AI Etymology Barmy is from barm ('the froth on fermenting malt liquor', Old English beorma), with the slang sense 'crazy' arising from frothiness; partly conflated with balmy. In present-day use, it means crazy or foolish (chiefly British); frothy with yeast. Related vocabulary includes barm. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives - Register & Style markdown