Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Covered with scales: Having the body covered or partially covered with thin, hard, overlapping plates, as seen in many fish and reptiles.
   • Rough and flaky: Having a surface that is rough to the touch because it is covered with or coming off in small, thin pieces.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The snake's skin felt dry and scaly.
  • After the sunburn, her skin became red and scaly.
  • The old paint on the door was peeling and scaly.

Advanced Usage

• "Scaly with": Used to describe a surface covered with a specific type of scale or flaky substance.
  • The pipe was scaly with mineral deposits.
• In a figurative sense, it can describe something that appears layered or plate-like.
  • The bark of the pine tree was thick and scaly.

Variants and Related Words

• Scale (noun): One of the many small, hard, thin plates that cover the bodies of some animals.
  • The fish lost a few scales when it was handled.
• Scale (verb): To remove scales from; to form or come off in scales.
  • You need to scale the fish before cooking it.
• Scaliness (noun): The quality or state of being scaly.
  • The lotion is designed to reduce the scaliness of the skin.

Synonyms

• Scurfy: Covered with or resembling scurf (small flakes of dead skin).
• Leprous: Resembling or affected with leprosy, which can cause scaly skin (often used in a literary or descriptive context).
• Flaky: Tending to break or separate into small, thin pieces.

Antonyms

• Smooth: Having an even and regular surface; free from roughness or bumps.
• Sleek: Smooth and glossy, often from being in good condition.

Related Phrases

• Scaly anteater: Another common name for the pangolin, a mammal covered in large, protective keratin scales.
• Scaly leg: A condition in birds where the legs become rough, raised, and scaly due to mites.

Adjective

1. having the body covered or partially covered with thin horny plates, as some fish and reptiles
2. rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf