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
Likewise, Reuben’s increasing respect for Xavier, who turns out to have more going for him than his flaky slacker demeanor might indicate. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025 That way the butter melts in the oven, creating those coveted light, flaky layers. Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025 Finish the cookies with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 June 2025 These flaky hand pies stuffed with sweet-tart cherries are the perfect two-bite desserts for topping off a full Fourth of July spread. Patricia S York, Southern Living, 27 June 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaky. Accessed 9 Jul. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!