flaky

1 of 2

adjective (1)

ˈflā-kē 

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

Synonyms of flaky

Adjective (1)

• brittle
• crisp
• crisped

Examples of flaky in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

a tender but flaky crust on the pastry

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The menu is full of classics—flaky spanakopita, aubergine moussaka, chicken souvlaki—which somehow taste much cleaner and fresher than typical taverna fare. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Nov. 2026

Each cookie is aptly named with a phrase or word that’s related to baseball, like the sluggers sourdough, a version of a chocolate chip cookie that Amber makes with sourdough and brown butter and is topped with flaky sea salt. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026

Transfer cake with base to a plate and let sit 20 minutes; sprinkle top with flaky sea salt. — Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Nov. 2026

Dessert brings homemade gulab jamun and cardamom sticky toffee cake, which Gurjar floods with caramel and finishes with flaky salt. — Mehr Singh, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026

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

Rhymes for flaky

• reiki
• shaky
• snaky

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