variants or less commonly flakey
flakier; flakiest
1
: consisting of flakes
flaky snow
2
: tending to flake
a flaky crust

flaky

2 of 2

adjective (2)

flakier; flakiest
1
: markedly odd or unconventional : offbeat, wacky
has some flaky ideas
He's nice, but a bit flaky.
2
informal : not reliable in performance or behavior : undependable
a flaky mechanism
You'll want to make sure that all the technology tools you need to effectively and efficiently serve clients are in full working order and that you won't need to worry about wasting time and money fixing broken hardware or flaky software.Henry B. Chace
… digital crutches trump face-to-face talking (even phone calls), encouraging people to be flaky and evasive …Charlotte Liberman

Examples of flaky in a Sentence

Adjective (1) a tender but flaky crust on the pastry
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Secchi shared an image of his medal on Instagram, comparing it to flaky crocodile skin. Sean Neumann, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025 Butter pecans are suspended throughout the flaky pastry and sprinkled over top for a sweet and salty breakfast or coffee break treat. Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2025 How to Choose a Foundation for Dry Skin How to Apply Foundation to Dry Skin Meet the Experts Those with dry skin should double down on hydrating face masks, radiance-boosting serums, and rich creams to keep flaky spots at bay. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2025 To observe this day in culinary fashion, the French partake in a flaky dessert called Galette des Rois (king cake), a cake layered with frangipane and sold with a paper crown, according to France24. Chad De Guzman, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for flaky 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

see flake entry 1

Adjective (2)

flake entry 4

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (2)

circa 1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flaky was in 1580

Dictionary Entries Near flaky

Cite this Entry

“Flaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaky. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

flaky

adjective
ˈflā-kē
flakier; flakiest
1
: consisting of flakes
2
: tending to flake
pie with a crisp flaky crust
3
: odd or strange in behavior
4
informal : not reliable : undependable
flakily
-kə-lē
adverb
flakiness
-kē-nəs
noun
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