messier; messiest
1
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
a messy room
3
: extremely unpleasant or trying
messy lawsuits
a messy divorce
Synonyms
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
The delegates will need to decide whom to support, and the DNC will have to develop a process to get there and that’s the messy part.
—
Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
After Partition, the snowy province of Kashmir, which initially chose to remain independent of both nations, acceded to India in a messy, reluctant affair.
—Hazlitt, 17 July 2024
The series, created by Jason Micallef, had the same basics as Daniel Waters and Michael Lehmann’s film of the same name, fixating on a group of students at Westerberg High School in Sherwood, Ohio, and the deeply messy politics and behavior that comes with that.
—Juan Barquin, IndieWire, 15 July 2024
Heated campaigns turned into messy personnel matters for two Broward School Board candidates, with their day jobs ending for both.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for messy 
Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2024
After Partition, the snowy province of Kashmir, which initially chose to remain independent of both nations, acceded to India in a messy, reluctant affair.
—Hazlitt, 17 July 2024
The series, created by Jason Micallef, had the same basics as Daniel Waters and Michael Lehmann’s film of the same name, fixating on a group of students at Westerberg High School in Sherwood, Ohio, and the deeply messy politics and behavior that comes with that.
—Juan Barquin, IndieWire, 15 July 2024
Heated campaigns turned into messy personnel matters for two Broward School Board candidates, with their day jobs ending for both.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for messy
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'messy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messy. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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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