scalier; scaliest
2
: of or relating to scaly animals
3
: despicable, poor
a regular scaly old shop—
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens4
: infested with scale insects
scaly fruit
scaliness
noun
Examples of scaly in a Sentence
His skin was dry and scaly.
the snake's scaly skin was dry to the touch
Recent Examples on the Web
With its scaly armor, pointy ears, elongated snout, and curved claws, the armadillo is undeniably odd-looking.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 July 2025
Dealing with the itchy, scaly patches that come with psoriasis is difficult enough.
—Korin Miller, Flow Space, 18 July 2025
Basal cell carcinoma may look like a pearly bump, a sore that doesn’t heal, or a pink, scaly patch, Massick says.
—Stacey Colino, Time, 9 July 2025
The fish will also serve as scaly ambassadors for Biosphere 2's many visitors (more than 3 million since 1991, according to the organization), who will weave through the desert landscape.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scaly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 July 2025
Dealing with the itchy, scaly patches that come with psoriasis is difficult enough.
—Korin Miller, Flow Space, 18 July 2025
Basal cell carcinoma may look like a pearly bump, a sore that doesn’t heal, or a pink, scaly patch, Massick says.
—Stacey Colino, Time, 9 July 2025
The fish will also serve as scaly ambassadors for Biosphere 2's many visitors (more than 3 million since 1991, according to the organization), who will weave through the desert landscape.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scaly
Cite this Entry
“Scaly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scaly. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scaly
adjective
scalier; scaliest
1
a
: covered with, composed of, or resembling scale or scales
b
: flaky sense 2
scaly skin
2
: infested with scale insects
scaly fruit
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share