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 LibermanExamples of flaky in a Sentence
Adjective (1)
a tender but flaky crust on the pastry
Recent Examples on the Web
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
It’s made with conditioning peptides that actively strengthen and protect lashes, while panthenol, a form of vitamin B5, keeps them soft and flexible rather than brittle or flaky.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
Get rid of textured, flaky skin with these $15 deep exfoliating gloves, then grab this hair dryer and diffuser from internet-famous brand Wavytalk for major hair volume.
—Madeline Merinuk, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
Here, ripe slices are layered over a buttery, flaky crust with garlic, grated cheese, lemon zest, and fresh herbs, then baked until the edges are deeply golden and the tomatoes are soft and caramelized.
—Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for flaky
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Adjective
From the looming white-domed oven emerge the flakiest pies, feteer, built of gauzy layers of dough, pressed with ghee and stretched, then folded one inside another around your choice of filling.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
It’s made with conditioning peptides that actively strengthen and protect lashes, while panthenol, a form of vitamin B5, keeps them soft and flexible rather than brittle or flaky.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
Get rid of textured, flaky skin with these $15 deep exfoliating gloves, then grab this hair dryer and diffuser from internet-famous brand Wavytalk for major hair volume.
—Madeline Merinuk, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
Here, ripe slices are layered over a buttery, flaky crust with garlic, grated cheese, lemon zest, and fresh herbs, then baked until the edges are deeply golden and the tomatoes are soft and caramelized.
—Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for flaky
Cite this Entry
“Flaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaky. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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