exfoliate vs shake off

exfoliate and shake off both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
exfoliate	No	No	Yes	No
shake off	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, shake off is a hypernym of exfoliate; that is, shake off is a word with a broader meaning than exfoliate:

Other hypernyms of exfoliate include cast, cast off, drop, shed, throw, throw away, throw off.

exfoliate (verb)	shake off (verb)
grow by producing or unfolding leaves	to remove
cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters	get rid of
remove the surface, in scales or laminae
spread by opening the leaves of
come off in a very thin piece