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
Wendy Wisner, Health, 6 July 2025
Throw all of the freshest summer veggies together and bake a light and flaky tart that was made for slicing for pre-dinner nibbles.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
Topping This pie has the best of both worlds: a crispy, flaky bottom crust and a crunchy crumble topping.
—Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Because Bluetooth is a bit slow and flaky, a hub is advisable for the best performance, but that adds to the cost.
—Simon Hill, Wired News, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flaky
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
Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes patches of inflamed, scaly, flaky skin.
—Wendy Wisner, Health, 6 July 2025
Throw all of the freshest summer veggies together and bake a light and flaky tart that was made for slicing for pre-dinner nibbles.
—Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
Topping This pie has the best of both worlds: a crispy, flaky bottom crust and a crunchy crumble topping.
—Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Because Bluetooth is a bit slow and flaky, a hub is advisable for the best performance, but that adds to the cost.
—Simon Hill, Wired News, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flaky
Cite this Entry
“Flaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaky. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share