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

Kody reflected on his own divorces in a confessional, and lamented how messy the breakups became. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026

How messy could this negotiation get with his agent, David Mulugheta, who also represented Micah Parsons in that fiasco last offseason? —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Jan. 2026

Faster, more adaptive, and designed for the messy transitions in real-world environments. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Jan. 2026

But messy counters can become eyesores in the blink of an eye. —Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 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