flaky
Americanadjective
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flakier,
comparative
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flakiest
superlative
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of or like flakes.
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lying or cleaving off in flakes or layers.
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Slang. eccentric; wacky; dizzy.
a flaky math professor.
adjective
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like or made of flakes
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tending to peel off or break easily into flakes
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Also: flakey. slang eccentric; crazy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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flakinessnoun
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nonflakilynessnoun
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nonflakyadjective
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unflakyadjective
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flakilyadverb
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nonflakilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of flaky
First recorded in 1570–80; 1965–70 flaky for def. 3; flake 1 + -y 1; sense of flaky def. 3 probably flake 4 + -y 1, though influenced by flake 1
Explanation
If you are flaky, you are off-beat and you probably don’t function in society quite like everyone else. If you say you’ll come to a party and then forget to show up, you are flaky. People are flaky (also spelled flakey) if they are wacky and unconventional, but to say someone is flaky is not really a compliment. If you want to buffer the blow of calling your friend an odd-ball, don’t say she’s flaky — say she’s eccentric. Pie crusts, snow, certain rocks, and dandruff can also be flaky, which means that they come apart in layered bits. Flakiness is a good thing for pie crusts, but not for your scalp.
Vocabulary lists containing flaky
Long Way Down
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Voilà: Croissant Lingo
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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
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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:
It happened in 2001 to the telecom-equipment companies, which ended up writing off billions of dollars in vendor financing when flaky dot-com customers failed to pay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Everything tells me that Carrick's side should probably take the three points because Tottenham are so flaky at the moment, but I am just not sure about United either.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Your sister-in-law may just be a bit flaky.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
The results are flaky rows of delicate porcelain that resemble oversize scales or ruffling coral.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The dry peanut butter had torn the flaky bread and the syrupy jam was spilling over.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Professionals and discerning home chefs know these attributes help create flakier pastries, tender cakes and consistent rise in baked goods.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2024
Scones spread less, pie crust is flakier and cookies are better in countless ways.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2023
To start, the shell is made from roti canai, a Malaysian flatbread that’s denser and flakier than a traditional tortilla.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2017
Dana is the flakier sister, and also the more responsible one.
From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2017
The less liquid used to accomplish this condition, the flakier will be the crust when it is baked.
From Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume 4: Salads and Sandwiches; Cold and Frozen Desserts; Cakes, Cookies and Puddings; Pastries and Pies by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Another of the castle's secrets shared exclusively with Salon by Thorington was the secret to the flakiest pastry crust ever, which became the most-read story published by Salon Food this year.
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2019
We think it produces the best-tasting, lightest, flakiest crust.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2018
But it will take hard work to revive breakfast’s flakiest business.
From Economist ● Feb. 18, 2016
In doing so, each challenged the flakiest fans to commit to the creators' muses despite the angularities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2015
Miss Joliffe scanned the picture with an eye which was trained to detect the very flakiest chip on a saucer, the very faintest scratch upon a teapot.
From The Nebuly Coat by John Meade Falkner
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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.
