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Synonyms

snowflake

American  
[snoh-fleyk] / ˈsnoʊˌfleɪk /

noun

  1. one of the small, feathery masses or flakes in which snow falls.

  2. Facetious Slang. a person who is considered unique and deserving of special treatment.

    I have twenty-eight special snowflakes in my classroom, and their parents’ demands make teaching impossible!

  3. Slang. a person who is easily offended, overly sensitive, or emotionally fragile.

    You snowflakes need to leave your safe spaces and engage with people who disagree with your beliefs.

  4. Meteorology.

    1. an agglomeration of snow crystals falling as a unit.

    2. any snow particle.

  5. any of certain European plants belonging to the genus Leucojum, of the amaryllis family, resembling the snowdrop.

  6. snow bunting.

snowflake British  
/ ˈsnəʊˌfleɪk /

noun

  1. one of the mass of small thin delicate arrangements of ice crystals that fall as snow

  2. any of various European amaryllidaceous plants of the genus Leucojum, such as L. vernum ( spring snowflake ), that have white nodding bell-shaped flowers

"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

Usage

What else does snowflake mean? No, we're not walking in a winter wonderland. Snowflake, here, is a political insult for someone who is perceived as too sensitive, often used for millennials and liberals.

Etymology

Origin of snowflake

First recorded in 1725–35; snow + flake 1

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.

The sensors also have an aerosol probe that measures particulate matter, because dust helps with snowflake formation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

The arrival of only one snowflake adds to Gobo’s severe case of writer’s block.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025

This is around walking pace but, in calm conditions, a snowflake can take around an hour to reach the ground after leaving the base of the cloud.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2024

The path and time taken for a snowflake to fall depends on several factors including the wind speed, the humidity of the air and the height of the cloud.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2024

The total amount of energy from outside the solar system ever received by all the radio telescopes on the planet Earth is less than the energy of a single snowflake striking the ground.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions 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.