snowflake
snowflake Lexical Profile
snowflake Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A single feathery ice crystal, or a small cluster of ice crystals, that falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.
"The children caught falling snowflakes on their mittens and watched the delicate six-sided crystals melt."
(Informal, derogatory) A person regarded as having an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or an overly emotional and fragile temperament that is easily offended.
"Critics dismissed the columnist's complaints, accusing him of acting like a hypersensitive snowflake."
Any of several bulbous perennial flowering plants of the genus Leucojum (and formerly Acis) in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean, cultivated for their nodding, bell-shaped white flowers with green or yellow spots at the tips of the tepals.
"Clusters of spring snowflakes bloomed beneath the deciduous trees shortly after the snowdrops faded."
• verb
To fall, scatter, or form in a manner resembling flakes of snow, or to adorn something with a fleecy, flake-like pattern.
"White apple blossoms snowflaked down onto the orchard grass in the afternoon breeze."
Word Nuance & Usage
While primarily a literal meteorological term, 'snowflake' is also widely used in modern informal and political discourse as a derogatory slang term for someone perceived as overly sensitive, fragile, or easily offended.
Word Origin & Etymology
A transparent compound formed in the early 18th century from 'snow' (from Old English 'snaw') and 'flake' (from Middle English 'flake', likely of Scandinavian origin). The modern derogatory slang sense emerged in the late 20th century, popularized by the 1996 novel 'Fight Club', which mocked the notion that every individual is a unique and special snowflake.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.