variants
or less commonly flakey
flakier; flakiest
flakier; flakiest
1
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
Henry B. Chace… digital crutches trump face-to-face talking (even phone calls), encouraging people to be flaky and evasive …—Charlotte Liberman
Charlotte LibermanSynonyms
Examples of flaky in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebLaura May Todd, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Plus, there’s even some niacinamide in there to help calm and soothe angry, flaky skin.
—Danielle Cohen, Glamour, 3 Apr. 2024
Cold butter: Cut in to the biscuit dough for a flaky, delicate result.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2024
Grate in the zest of 2 large unwaxed lemons and add 1 clove of garlic, peeled and bashed but kept whole, 100ml olive oil and 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024
See: risotto brightened with purple yams, and flaky pastry wrapped around ground pork and other innards, plus a light crunch from diced jicama.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
This appreciation for all things Parisian and petite is a firm tenet of Cooper’s style, proven by the bounty of miniature cups and saucers stacked on shelves, flaky palmiers and frames of romantic French scenery scattered along the walls.
—Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2024
First-timers come to Paris seeking Eiffel Tower views, flaky croissants, snapshots of the Mona Lisa, and a proper taste of steak frites.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024
Sprinkle the sandwiches with a finishing salt such as Maldon, a flaky sea salt.
—Jan Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Pan serves pastries and desserts made with a mix of European and Japanese techniques and flavors, like flaky miso cinnamon rolls, Basque-style matcha cheesecake and anpan, sweet rolls filled with red bean paste.
—Laura May Todd, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Plus, there’s even some niacinamide in there to help calm and soothe angry, flaky skin.
—Danielle Cohen, Glamour, 3 Apr. 2024
Cold butter: Cut in to the biscuit dough for a flaky, delicate result.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2024
Grate in the zest of 2 large unwaxed lemons and add 1 clove of garlic, peeled and bashed but kept whole, 100ml olive oil and 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024
See: risotto brightened with purple yams, and flaky pastry wrapped around ground pork and other innards, plus a light crunch from diced jicama.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
This appreciation for all things Parisian and petite is a firm tenet of Cooper’s style, proven by the bounty of miniature cups and saucers stacked on shelves, flaky palmiers and frames of romantic French scenery scattered along the walls.
—Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2024
First-timers come to Paris seeking Eiffel Tower views, flaky croissants, snapshots of the Mona Lisa, and a proper taste of steak frites.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024
Sprinkle the sandwiches with a finishing salt such as Maldon, a flaky sea salt.
—Jan Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flaky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flaky
Cite this Entry
“Flaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaky. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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