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Synonyms

flaky

American  
[fley-kee] / ˈfleɪ ki /
Or flakey

adjective

flakier, flakiest

  1. of or like flakes.

  2. lying or cleaving off in flakes or layers.

  3. Slang. eccentric; wacky; dizzy.

    a flaky math professor.
flaky British  
/ ˈfleɪkɪ /

adjective

  1. like or made of flakes

  2. tending to peel off or break easily into flakes

  3. Also: flakey.  slang eccentric; crazy

"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

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

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing flaky

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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.

Liverpool are flaky at the moment and Ibrahima Konate always seems off the pace at the back, and liable to make a mistake.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Bake this beautiful concoction and sprinkle flaky salt and grated lemon zest on top before serving with pasta or over slices of fresh sourdough.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

The fine salt integrates; the flaky salt disrupts.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

Dinner at Kabawa in New York’s East Village begins with “buss-up shut,” a flaky Trinidadian flatbread derived from Indian paratha roti.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

“Granny always said that was the secret to her flaky crust. How did you...? Miss Mallory shrugged. “I just had a feeling it might belong with you.”

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

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.