hot mess
noun
plural hot messes
1
informal
: something or someone that is emphatically a mess: such as
a
: something that is disastrously bad or chaotic (as due to mishandling or misconduct)
My life was a hot mess.
His latest outing, to a hot mess of a boutique hotel in New Mexico, is just as full of withering asides and bleeped-out F-bombs.—
TV Guide
TV Guide
b
: a disorganized, disheveled, or self-destructive person
She's a hard-drinking hot mess who scavenges the streets for castoff furniture and clothing that she spruces up and sometimes sells; how she survives in contemporary Los Angeles is one of the movie's biggest mysteries.—Sheri Linden
Sheri Linden
also
: such a person who is at the same time attractive or sexy
However, Everett actually is a hot mess when she performs. Her stage presence is erotic and chaotic, her big blond body wrapped in something low-cut and sheer. —Molly Adams
Molly Adams 2
archaic
a
: a hot dish especially of soft or pulpy food
… there was a stove over which our guides made a hot mess of flour and water which passed for soup.—Edwin Swift Balch
Edwin Swift Balch
b
: a hot mixture of ingredients cooked or eaten together
They were supping or breakfasting together off a hot mess of meat and vegetables …—Henry Vizetelly
Henry VizetellyExamples of hot mess in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The problem for the rest of the league is that the Eagles can be a hot mess for a month and then immediately turn back into the team that dominated the Super Bowl a year ago.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Basically, Anthony Weaver’s unit has been a hot mess this season.
—Omar Kelly
october 23, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
When the industry is a hot mess, fairy-tale moments are just that: outliers.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2025
The album is a hot mess of conflicted emotions, empty braggadocio, poor technique, and heartbreaking yet tiresome crying jags.
—Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot mess
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Josh Kendall, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Basically, Anthony Weaver’s unit has been a hot mess this season.
—Omar Kelly
october 23, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
When the industry is a hot mess, fairy-tale moments are just that: outliers.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2025
The album is a hot mess of conflicted emotions, empty braggadocio, poor technique, and heartbreaking yet tiresome crying jags.
—Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot mess
Video
Hot Mess
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
Cite this Entry
“Hot mess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20mess. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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