hot mess

noun

plural hot messes
1
informal : something or someone that is emphatically a mess: such as
a
: something in a state of extreme disorder or disarray
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
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 Lindenn
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
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
b
: a hot mixture of ingredients cooked or eaten together
They were supping or breakfasting together off a hot mess of meat and vegetables, and rose up at our entrance, for the room boasted of a wooden bench and couple of ricketty stools.Henry Vizetelly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Getting a better estimate for how frequent and widespread eruptions have been will help scientists refine their models for how the planet evolved into such a hot mess. Carolyn Y. Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Mar. 2023 On Monday, Christian Wood, who provides a hot hand at one end and a hot mess at the other, also sat with foot soreness. Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 14 Mar. 2023 But when it's disrupted, your skin can look and feel like a hot mess. April Benshosan, Women's Health, 23 Feb. 2023 The result: a hot mess of drama and a potential harbinger for future Netflix #content. Joshua St. Clair, Men's Health, 15 Feb. 2023

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hot mess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1772, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Time Traveler
The first known use of hot mess was circa 1772

Dictionary Entries Near hot mess

Cite this Entry

“Hot mess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20mess. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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