scaly

adjective

ˈskā-lē 

scalier; scaliest

1

a

: covered with, composed of, or rich in scale or scales

b

: flaky

2

: of or relating to scaly animals

3

: despicable, poor

a regular scaly old shop

—Charles Dickens

4

: infested with scale insects

scaly fruit

scaliness noun

Synonyms

• scaled
• squamous

Examples of scaly in a Sentence

His skin was dry and scaly.

the snake's scaly skin was dry to the touch

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike dry skin, which can be dull and scaly, the leading symptom of eczema is chronic itchiness. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025

According to the warrant affidavit, the goat appeared to have arthritis in both of her front knees and had flaky and scaly skin. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2025

It's linked to psoriasis, a skin condition causing inflamed, scaly patches on the skin. —Hannah Harper, Health, 18 Apr. 2025

Nightcrawler's look shared a complementary yet distinct aesthetic to fellow blue mutant Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), who donned detailed, scaly makeup from head to toe in the first three X-Men movies (and her makeup routine took nine hours to complete!). —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing scaly

• scaly anteater

Rhymes for scaly

• bailee
• bailie
• baily
• daily
• gaily
• gayly
• israeli
• ukulele

Kids Definition

scaly

adjective

ˈskā-lē 

scalier; scaliest

1

a

: covered with, composed of, or resembling scale or scales

b

: flaky sense 2

scaly skin

2

: infested with scale insects

scaly fruit

Medical Definition

scaly

adjective

ˈskā-lē 

scalier; scaliest

: covered with or composed of scale or scales

dry scaly skin

scaliness noun