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:
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
Let cool on the baking sheet, then finish with a little flaky salt if desired.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
“The meat is so juicy, meltingly tender and flaky ... it’s way beyond expectations,” they said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The flaky fish patties and soft peas required little chewing, and soon George’s plate was empty.
From "George" by Alex Gino
Biscuit dough felt too stodgy; puff pastry and its flakier cousins had the right spirit, but they collapsed under pressure.
From Salon ● Nov. 12, 2025
Scones spread less, pie crust is flakier and cookies are better in countless ways.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2023
For flakier fish, cooking the fish whole is safer.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 17, 2021
Should the outer shell be flakier, the inside fluffier?
From New York Times ● Feb. 13, 2020
Another method is adopted for pastries that are intended to be somewhat flakier and of a little better quality than plain pastry.
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
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.
