Standard Lemma guide

flaky

adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈfleɪki/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪki
  • CMU ARPABET: F L EY1 K IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Consisting of flakes or of small, loose masses; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes or layers; flakelike.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Unreliable; likely to make plans with others but then abandon those plans.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Unreliable; working only on an intermittent basis; likely due to malfunction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • I cannot enjoy the online game because of my flaky Internet connection.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

made of or resembling flakes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • flaky soap

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flakey

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • restaurants of bizarre design--one like a hat, another like a rabbit
  • famed for his eccentric spelling
  • a freakish combination of styles
  • his off-the-wall antics
  • the outlandish clothes of teenagers
  • outre and affected stage antics

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bizarre, eccentric, freakish, freaky, flakey, gonzo, off-the-wall, outlandish, outre

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

made of or easily forming flakes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flakey

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English flake Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English flaky From flake + -y.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: люспест (ljuspest) — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Dutch: vlokkig — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Finnish: hiutalemainen — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Finnish: hilseilevä — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Galician: escamento — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Galician: escamudo — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • German: flockig — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • German: blättrig — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • German: schuppig — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • German: aus Schichten bestehend — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • German: exzentrisch — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Greek: λεπιοειδής (lepioeidís) — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Greek: φολιδοειδής (folidoeidís) — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Russian: хлопьевидный (xlopʹjevidnyj) — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Spanish: hojaldrado — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Ukrainian: пласті́вча́стий (plastívčástyj) — Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
  • Esperanto: malasidua — of a person: unreliable
  • Finnish: epäluotettava — of a person: unreliable
  • Finnish: häilähtelevä — of a person: unreliable
  • Finnish: ailahteleva — of a person: unreliable
  • French: lâcheur — of a person: unreliable
  • German: unzuverlässig — of a person: unreliable
  • Greek: αλλοπρόσαλλος (alloprósallos) — of a person: unreliable
  • Italian: inaffidabile — of a person: unreliable
  • Italian: strambo — of a person: unreliable
  • Japanese: 頼りない (tayorinai) — of a person: unreliable
  • Macedonian: недо́верлив (nedóverliv) — of a person: unreliable
  • Māori: māhunga wai — of a person: unreliable
  • Polish: postrzelony — of a person: unreliable
  • Russian: ненадёжный (nenadjóžnyj) — of a person: unreliable
  • Russian: ветреный (vetrenyj) — of a person: unreliable
  • Spanish: poco / no / nada fiable — of a person: unreliable
  • Spanish: faltón — of a person: unreliable
  • Spanish: malqueda — of a person: unreliable
  • Ukrainian: непе́вний (nepévnyj) — of a person: unreliable
  • Ukrainian: легкова́жний (lehkovážnyj) — of a person: unreliable
  • Yiddish: אומפֿאַרלאָזלעך (umfarlozlekh) — of a person: unreliable