Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🥐 Breaking into pieces 🦄 Eccentric or odd
flakey

flakey

8.1
Unusual in a way that people notice
  • adjective
  • /ˈfleɪki/
  • UK
translation icon : excéntrico
  • His flakey ideas often leave his friends confused about what he really wants.

Examples

  • She tends to have a flakey approach to work, showing up at odd hours and missing deadlines.

  • Flakey, self-absorbed, neurotic actress type or gun-toting, badass FBI agent with years of pent-up sexual frustration?

    Drive Me Crazy (1999)

  • Real flakey

    Arachnophobia (1990)

  • I send out a biweekly email newsletter with subjects such as How to Handle Flakey Girls, 7 Tips for Incredible First Dates, How to Pick Up Girls in Coffee Shops, The Reason Why She Isn't Calling You Back, and much more.

    Blog text (9)

  • His flakey personality makes it hard for people to take him seriously.

Synonyms

odd
vsflakey
798 1.0

Different from what is normal or expected

is similar but places more emphasis on being noticeably unusual
bizarre
vsflakey
406 5.9

Very strange or unusual in a way that surprises people

is similar but can be less extreme and more odd than shocking
freaky
vsflakey
  • Informal
165 6.9

Strange in a way that makes you feel scared or nervous

is similar but generally suggests a more harmless, quirky oddness
eccentric
vsflakey
99 7.2

Different from normal in a way people notice

is similar but often feels more quirky or unreliable rather than formal
outlandish
vsflakey
34 7.4

Strange or unusual in a way that surprises people

is similar but focuses more on odd behaviour than shocking looks
freakish
vsflakey
23 6.8

Very strange or unusual in a way that surprises people

is like that but often implies a lighter, quirky oddness
screwy
vsflakey
  • Informal
19 8.0

Strange or not working in the usual way

is similar but often implies gentler or more noticeable eccentricity
off-the-wall
vsflakey
  • Informal
7 8.0

Strange and often funny in a surprising way

is similar but leans more toward eccentric or odd rather than playful
wiggy
vsflakey
  • Slang
3 9.3

Strange and amusing in how a person or thing looks and acts

is like that but highlights being noticeably unconventional or strange
gonzo
vsflakey
  • Informal
1 9.7

Very strange and wild in style or behavior

shares unconventionality but is often milder and more commonplace
wingy
vsflakey
1 8.8

Having wings or looking like wings, often in an odd and showy way

is like that but focuses more on noticeable unconventional behaviour
outré
vsflakey
  • Literature
9.9

Very unusual and sometimes strange in a way that attracts attention

is like that but usually more casual and less refined
ostrobogulous
vsflakey
  • NSFW
9.9

Strange and sometimes a little shocking

is similar but usually less extreme and more casually odd
oddish
vsflakey
7.9

Slightly strange in a small, gentle way

is more strongly odd or eccentric and more noticeably unconventional

Antonyms

normal
∞ 1.0

Usual or expected in most situations

conventional
175 2.8

Doing things in the usual way most people expect, not new or original

How Eccentric

bizarre
406 5.9
eccentric
1 7.0
flakey
  • UK
8.1
odd
798 1.0
quirky
67 4.4

Surface Forms

flakey positive
flakier comparative
flakiest superlative

Morphology

flakey = flake (semi-transparent) = flake + y

Derived via figurative extension from 'flake' (a person who 'flakes' or is insubstantial), so form is regular but the meaning is slangy/figurative and not directly inferable from the literal noun for all learners.

Etymology

Flakey is also used for a person who is odd or unreliable, and a helpful way to remember it is to think of a flake as a small, loose piece that can fall away. That's why a 'flakey' person is someone who may fall away from plans or act unpredictably.