flaky

or flak·ey

[ fley-kee ]

See synonyms for: flaky flakiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,flak·i·er, flak·i·est.

of or like flakes.
lying or cleaving off in flakes or layers.

Slang. eccentric; wacky; dizzy: a flaky math professor.

Origin of flaky

First recorded in 1570–80; 1965–70 for def. 3; flake¹ + -y¹; sense of def. 3 probably flake⁴ + -y¹, though influenced by flake¹

Other words from flaky

flak·i·ly, adverb
flak·i·ness, noun
non·flak·i·ly, adverb
non·flak·i·ly·ness, noun
non·flak·y, adjective
un·flak·y, adjective

Words Nearby flaky

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use flaky in a sentence

If you have dry, flaky skin beneath the beard, this cleanser will help make your face happy.
Best beard product for the best beard of your life | Florie Korani | August 18, 2021 | Popular-Science
You can also add the spent pods to a jar filled with sugar to get vanilla-flavored sugar, and do the same with a flaky finishing salt such as Maldon.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Vanilla | Jamie Feldmar | July 22, 2021 | Eater
He has developed a recipe that results in biscuits whose interiors are more cake-y than flaky.
The 25 best sandwiches in the D.C. area | Tim Carman | June 16, 2021 | Washington Post
There are many, many problems where the physics is sort of flaky.
Latest Neural Nets Solve World’s Hardest Equations Faster Than Ever Before | Anil Ananthaswamy | April 19, 2021 | Quanta Magazine
Season with lots of extra orange zest, juice, olive oil, flaky salt and mint.
A one-pan salmon dinner with minty peas, orange and fennel | Daniela Galarza | April 1, 2021 | Washington Post

It is the “glue that holds often flaky single malts together,” as Broom puts it.
Don't Be a Single-Malt Scotch Snob | Kayleigh Kulp | August 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Overnight, she was transformed from a Republican with a solid professional reputation into another flaky PC whiner.
Herman Cain Campaign Jokes Get Ugly, Target Anita Hill | Michelle Goldberg | November 12, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Its flaky and slightly burned crust was reminiscent of crème brulee.
Portugal's Kings of Pastry | Molly Hannon | April 5, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The phyllo cooks until golden, crisp, and flaky, and the cheesy spinach filling is addictive, to say the least.
What to Eat: Light Greek Meal | Cookstr.com | June 1, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
And he himself brought her the golden-brown bouillon, in a dainty Sevres cup, with a flaky cracker or two on the saucer.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
She had forced herself to eat most of her soup, and now she was picking the flaky bits of a court bouillon with her fork.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
The residue in the dish consisted of undecomposed tar and an olive-green flaky substance.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron) | William Anderson Syme
His biscuits came to the table hot and flaky, his bacon was done to a turn.
The Highgrader | William MacLeod Raine
This flaky part is as white as snow, and is the only eatable part of the fruit.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests | J. J. von Tschudi

British Dictionary definitions for flaky

flaky

/ (ˈfleɪkɪ) /

adjectiveflakier or flakiest

like or made of flakes
tending to peel off or break easily into flakes

Also: flakey US slang eccentric; crazy

Derived forms of flaky

flakily, adverb
flakiness, noun

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

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