adjective, flakier, flakiest.
of or like flakes.
lying or cleaving off in flakes or layers.
Slang. eccentric; wacky; dizzy: a flaky math professor.
Also, flakey.

1570–80; 1965–70 for def 3; flake1 + -y1; sense of def. 3 probably flake4 + -y1, though influenced by flake1

flakily, adverb
flakiness, noun
nonflakily, adverb
nonflakilyness, noun
nonflaky, adjective
unflaky, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
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World English Dictionary
flaky (ˈfleɪkɪ)
adj , flakier, flakiest
1.  like or made of flakes
2.  tending to peel off or break easily into flakes
3.  slang (US) Also: flakey eccentric; crazy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

1570s, from flake + -y (2). Meaning "eccentric, crazy" first recorded 1959, said to be Amer.Eng. baseball slang, but probably from earlier druggie slang flake "cocaine" (1920s). Flake "eccentric person" is a 1968 back-formation from it.
"The term 'flake' needs explanation. It's an insider's word, used throughout baseball, usually as an adjective; someone is considered 'flaky.' It does not mean anything so crude as 'crazy,' but it's well beyond 'screwball' and far off to the side of 'eccentric.' " ["New York Times," April 26, 1964]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

flaky definition

  1. mod.
    unreliable. : I'm getting so flaky. Must be old age.
  2. mod.
    habituated to the use of cocaine. (Drugs.) : He looks a little flaky. Look at his eyes and nose.
  3. mod.
    and flako. [ˈfleko]alcohol intoxicated. : Paul was flaky and couldn't drive. , Man is he flako!
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw-Hill Education.
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Computing Dictionary

flaky definition

(Or "flakey") Subject to frequent lossage. This use is of course related to the common slang use of the word to describe a person as eccentric, crazy, or just unreliable. A system that is flaky is working, sort of - enough that you are tempted to try to use it - but fails frequently enough that the odds in favour of finishing what you start are low. Commonwealth hackish prefers dodgy.
[Jargon File]

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Example sentences
Mix with your fingers until it forms flaky crumbs and lumps.
Texture: crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside.
  eat any skin.
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