messy

adjective

ˈme-sē 

messier; messiest

1

a

: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy

a messy room

b

: likely to create a mess

a messy task/hobby

messy paint

2

: lacking neatness or precision : careless, slovenly

messy thinking

3

: extremely unpleasant or trying

messy lawsuits

a messy divorce

messily

ˈme-sə-lē 

adverb

messiness

ˈme-sē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of messy

• chaotic
• sloppy
• cluttered
• confused
• littered
• jumbled
• filthy

Examples of messy in a Sentence

Painting a room can be messy work.

Some kinds of glue are messier than others.

a delicious but messy sandwich

Recent Examples on the Web

Whether that promise survives contact with the messy, unsupervised way people actually use chatbots — typing symptoms into a phone in the middle of the night, hoping for reassurance rather than a referral — is a separate question. — Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

After a messy eight minutes, the remaining corn dog sticks and leftover food were tallied up for each contestant. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2026

However, the inner workings of an economy – much like ice cream on a 90-degree day – can be a little messy. — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

The Sky have struggled with a somewhat problematic reputation for more than a decade, dating to the messy exit of Sylvia Fowles in 2014. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for messy

• bessy
• cressy
• dressy
• jesse

Kids Definition

messy

adjective

ˈmes-ē 

messier; messiest

1

: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy

2

: extremely unpleasant or trying

messy lawsuits

messily

ˈmes-ə-lē 

adverb

messiness

ˈmes-ē-nəs 

noun