scaly

American  

[skey-lee] / ˈskeɪ li /

adjective

scalier, scaliest

1. covered with or abounding in scales or scale.

2. characterized by or consisting of scales; scalelike.

3. peeling or flaking off in scales.

4. Slang. shabby; despicable.

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scaly British  

/ ˈskeɪlɪ /

adjective

1. resembling or covered in scales

2. peeling off in scales

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Other Word Forms

• scaliness noun
• unscaly adjective

Etymology

Origin of scaly

First recorded in 1520–30; scale ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Other creatures possess more mystical abilities, such as the scaly, deerlike qilin who can recognize whether a “person holds good or evil in their heart.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

In it, a government scientist discovers that a scaly creature worshiped by island villagers as a sea god has grown to a monstrosity that dwarfs tall buildings.

From Salon • Mar. 20, 2026

"I don't want to alarm anyone but there is a crocodile in the Sheraton pool," TikTok user Lisa Keller said in a video showing the scaly predator.

From Barron's • Oct. 19, 2025

It is characterised by severely dry, red, scaly, and inflamed skin that is highly susceptible to infection and skin cancer.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2025

She laid a dry pinon branch on the coals; smoke curled out of the gray scaly bark like woolly hair until yellow flames burst around it.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko