LAS in LA Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 How would you define this word (when used as an adjective to describe people)? If you've used it to describe someone, did you mean that you just weren't compatible? That he/she is someone everyone should avoid? That the person has mannerisms which could be changed if someone else pointed them out? I'm not in a specific situation with this word :001_smile:, just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I think of it as sort of like flighty--not to be taken very seriously, maybe not that bright, maybe showing behaviors that are outside the norm (whatever that is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Some one that says they are going to show up somewhere, but may or may not. Some one that changes their mind frequently. I don't think it has anything to do with intelligence, but rather indecisiveness. We use "flaky" all the time as a word to describe some one that has stood us up or can't commit to something. (We're flaky sometimes too :) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 To me it means not reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Yes, I agree with the PPs--it is more of an unreliable bent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Not reliable, will tell you whatever you want to hear. Doesn't think things through before acting, actions often don't make logical sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 All of the above :) However, just because someone is flaky doesn't mean they aren't a good person. I know many people that are, at least sometimes, flaky - and I just factor that in when making plans with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalMom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Flaky = indecisive & unreliable FTR: I can be indecisive, but once I commit I try very hard to be reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalMom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 All of the above :)However, just because someone is flaky doesn't mean they aren't a good person. I know many people that are, at least sometimes, flaky - and I just factor that in when making plans with them. Yes...I have friends like this & I still love them to pieces.....:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TX Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 In one word: undependable. You can't count on a flaky person. They will say one thing and do another. They don't follow through with commitments made. Susan in TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 To me it means not reliable. :iagree: Can also be used like "Well, she was supposed to go with us that last two times we went but she flaked out on us both times." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I agree with pp. Flaky is unreliable/indecisive. To me it is someone who is those things and they don't even know it or care. They kind of laugh it off. For example: Oh I was supposed to be at work at 7:00, my bad, hehehe. You know kind of clueless, but happy. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 To me it means not reliable. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Not reliable, will tell you whatever you want to hear. Doesn't think things through before acting, actions often don't make logical sense. :iagree: This, more than anything else. It's more than just unreliable, it's the actions described above, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Flaky = unreliable I don't necessarily avoid flaky people (some of them are family), but I do not plan things to include them as essential contributors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Yes, I agree with the PPs--it is more of an unreliable bent. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 A person who does not keep their word or remain steady, though not usually intentionally or with malice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandaceC Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Flaky to me kind of means the same thing as the blond jokes. (not that I agree) but that is the image I have...dumb, flighty, airhead, etc. I've never really thought about it meaning unreliable...just not the smartest one in the bunch. :D And yes, they can still be good people...just kind of clueless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 Thanks everyone! I knew the Hive Annotated Dictionary would be helpful. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 All of the above :)However, just because someone is flaky doesn't mean they aren't a good person. I know many people that are, at least sometimes, flaky - and I just factor that in when making plans with them. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 It's one of those words that I feel like is in a zone where sometimes it's very negative and critical and sometimes it's a sort of self-deprecating or cheerfully euphemistic word - like someone might apologize for being late by calling themselves flaky or someone might be like, it's okay, we didn't expect you to turn up, we all know you're a little flaky. Agreed that I don't mind flaky people much of the time. When they show up or do something, great, when they don't, oh well. Then again, I wouldn't want to include them in some types of activities (I worried quite a bit that a couple of the parents in our big Shakespeare production were a bit flaky) - but if it's a big party or a big field trip with lots of room or something, then hey, great to see you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 To me it means unreliable. I would use it to describe someone who doesn't show up on time (or at all), who makes promises they don't keep, who doesn't follow through on activities and projects. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Haven't read the replies but my interpretation would be that this person was unreliable, inconsistent and scatter-brained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 not dependable, can't be relied on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 To me it means not reliable. :iagree: Flakey people, IME, tend to also be "space cadets" (absent minded but not insincere) or just opportunistic, in that they think nothing of forgetting a commitment when it suits them. Flighty, to me, means a person prone to panic, and poor decisions that go along with jumpiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 unreliable, fickle and with no common sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I agree with the unreliable/prone to mind changing definition, but I also think of a flaky person as someone who seems oblivious to some social norms and points of etiquette (in a clueless sort of way). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Unreliable, scatter-brained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Thanks everyone! I knew the Hive Annotated Dictionary would be helpful. :001_smile: :lol: Love it! I plan to focus on vocabulary more this year. I've discovered that reading or hearing a word used in proper context where one can figure out what the word means, how it relates to other similar words and how it is different can be most helpful to build a larger vocabulary. I'll have to remember to use the Hive Annotated Dictionary when I encounter words that I want to understand more clearly. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I always thought it meant scatterbrained and forgetful. I never thought of it as unreliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 No, I've always thought of it as meaning that a person is slightly kooky, crazy, forgetful, scatter-minded, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Some one that says they are going to show up somewhere, but may or may not. Some one that changes their mind frequently. I don't think it has anything to do with intelligence, but rather indecisiveness. We use "flaky" all the time as a word to describe some one that has stood us up or can't commit to something. (We're flaky sometimes too :) ) :iagree: This is my definition of it as well. We also sometimes use the term "flake out" when someone decides last minute not to show..."I guess she flaked out on us" or some such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Unreliable. Doesn't keep one's word, spoken or unspoken commitments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I guess I will stop referring to myself as "flaky"! I am sometimes scatterbrained, distracted, forgetful, and that's what I consider flaky. But I always show up when I say I'm going to, and I am reliable once I set a date. Setting the date might take awhile though . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 How would you define this word (when used as an adjective to describe people)? If you've used it to describe someone, did you mean that you just weren't compatible? That he/she is someone everyone should avoid? That the person has mannerisms which could be changed if someone else pointed them out? I'm not in a specific situation with this word :001_smile:, just curious. When I use the word 'flaky' to describe someone, I mean that they are generally unreliable. It doesn't mean that they are bad people or that one should avoid them. One of my best friends is kind of flaky and I love her to bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Flacky = unstable, wishywashy, undependable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennis_b Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 A flaky person is inconsistant and undependable. Not to be trusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I can never depend on someone who is flakey. I might like her as long as I didn't have to depend on her, KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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