flaky
Americanadjective
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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
- flakily adverb
- flakiness noun
- nonflakily adverb
- nonflakilyness noun
- nonflaky adjective
- unflaky adjective
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
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.
It will never randomly serve up some flaky incorrect definition or reference.
From Los Angeles Times
“Nestled in a flaky, buttery crust, the cinnamon-spiced, diced apple filling is topped with a brown sugar crumble and baked to a golden brown,” TJ’s describes.
From Salon
We made great friends with our new neighbors, one of whom is an actor and not in the least bit flaky.
From Los Angeles Times
The gold satin skirt was wrapped and layered like a flaky golden pastry from a Parisian bakery.
From Literature
Biscuit dough felt too stodgy; puff pastry and its flakier cousins had the right spirit, but they collapsed under pressure.
From Salon
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.
