Meanings
comparative flakier · superlative flakiest · alternative flakey
- informalUnreliable; likely to make plans with others but then abandon those plans.
I have noticed that when hustlers upgrade themselves to models (as distinguished from models who have never hustled) they tend to continue being flaky about appointments. On my last trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, I was stood up twice.
2014, Joseph Itiel, A Consumer's Guide to Male Hustlers - informalUnreliable; working only on an intermittent basis; likely due to malfunction.
I cannot enjoy the online game because of my flaky Internet connection.
1 more example
Toeava went over unopposed to stretch his side's lead but Japan got on the scoreboard on 56 minutes, wing Hirotoki Onozawa intercepting an attempted offload from Slade, who had a rather flaky game, and running in from the All Blacks' 10m line.
2011 September 16, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand 83-7 Japan”, in BBC Sport
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivemade of or resembling flakes
adjectiveconspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian люспест
- люспест (ljuspest)Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
Dutch vlokkig
- vlokkigConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
Esperanto malasidua
- malasiduaof a person: unreliable
Finnish hiutalemainen, hilseilevä
- hiutalemainenConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- hilseileväConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- epäluotettavaof a person: unreliable
- häilähteleväof a person: unreliable
- ailahtelevaof a person: unreliable
French lâcheur
- lâcheurof a person: unreliable
German flockig, blättrig
- flockigConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- blättrigConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- schuppigConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- aus Schichten bestehendConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- exzentrischConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- unzuverlässigof a person: unreliable
Greek λεπιοειδής, φολιδοειδής
- λεπιοειδής (lepioeidís)Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- φολιδοειδής (folidoeidís)Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- αλλοπρόσαλλος (alloprósallos)of a person: unreliable
Italian inaffidabile, strambo
- inaffidabileof a person: unreliable
- stramboof a person: unreliable
Japanese 頼りない
- 頼りない (tayorinai)of a person: unreliable
Māori māhunga wai
- māhunga waiof a person: unreliable
Polish postrzelony
- postrzelonyof a person: unreliable
Russian хлопьевидный, ненадёжный
- хлопьевидный (xlopʹjevidnyj)Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- ненадёжный (nenadjóžnyj)of a person: unreliable
- ветреный (vetrenyj)of a person: unreliable
Spanish hojaldrado, poco / no / nada fiable
- hojaldradoConsisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- poco / no / nada fiableof a person: unreliable
- faltónof a person: unreliable
- malquedaof a person: unreliable
Swedish opålitlig, lynnig
- opålitligof a person: unreliable
- lynnigof a person: unreliable
Ukrainian пласті́вча́стий, непе́вний
- пласті́вча́стий (plastívčástyj)Consisting of flakes; lying, or cleaving off, in flakes; flakelike
- непе́вний (nepévnyj)of a person: unreliable
- легкова́жний (lehkovážnyj)of a person: unreliable
Yiddish אומפֿאַרלאָזלעך
- אומפֿאַרלאָזלעך (umfarlozlekh)of a person: unreliable
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with flaky
All rhymes →Cite this entry
flaky. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flaky
“flaky.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flaky. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flaky,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flaky.
Source: flaky on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.