flaky.

1. Coming apart in small, thin layers or pieces.

2. Unreliable or inconsistent in keeping plans and responsibilities.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• flaky pastry
• flaky paint

On the page

Flaky paint fell from the frame when she touched it.

Usage notes

Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: Comparative more flaky; superlative most flaky when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description. Commonness: moderately common.