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snowflake

/ˌsnoʊˈfleɪk/
/ˈsnʌʊfleɪk/
IPA guide

Other forms: snowflakes

When it snows, each individual bit of snow you see is a snowflake. Each snowflake is made up of an ice crystal—or several ice crystals stuck together.

At the center of every snowflake is a tiny particle of dust, which attracts drops of water that freeze and form crystals. If you look at a snowflake through a microscope, you can see how complex its pattern is—and each one really is different from every other snowflake. This fact led to the informal, derogatory meaning of this word, "someone who's overly sensitive because they're supposedly so special."

Definitions of snowflake
  1. noun
    a crystal of snow
    synonyms: flake
    see moresee less
    type of:
    crystal
    a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
  2. noun
    white Arctic bunting
    see moresee less
    type of:
    bunting
    any of numerous seed-eating songbirds of Europe or North America
Pronunciation
US
/ˌsnoʊˈfleɪk/
UK
/ˈsnʌʊfleɪk/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘snowflake'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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