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
3
: extremely unpleasant or trying
messy lawsuits
a messy divorce
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
If something’s been messy or slow, take a few minutes to clean it up.
—
Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2026
Dugger’s instincts are still catching up to his tools, and block deconstruction can get messy when linemen get into his chest, but there just aren’t many linebackers built like this who also piled up triple-digit tackles.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
A lot of the case seemed to come down to disorganization and messy paperwork.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Robby’s mental-health issues are messy and complicated and certainly cannot be solved in one 15-hour day at work.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for messy
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Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2026
Dugger’s instincts are still catching up to his tools, and block deconstruction can get messy when linemen get into his chest, but there just aren’t many linebackers built like this who also piled up triple-digit tackles.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
A lot of the case seemed to come down to disorganization and messy paperwork.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Robby’s mental-health issues are messy and complicated and certainly cannot be solved in one 15-hour day at work.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for messy
Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messy. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
messy
adjective
messier; messiest
1
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
2
: extremely unpleasant or trying
messy lawsuits
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