messier; messiest
1
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
a messy room
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
But exactly the opposite needs to happen: the patient needs to enact her struggle in the room, to be messy, irrational, resentful, out of control.
—
Leslie Jamison, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The company’s social-media posts seem to be aimed at Monday-hating, coffee-drinking workers who might log in to Zoom meetings from disastrously messy rooms or prefer to be outside, playing with buddies (or toys), rather than reporting to an office.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2025
The pair dominated the tabloids, especially during their messy 1994 divorce.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
The White House and Kemp have aimed to avoid a messy primary and have engaged with each other on the best approaches.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
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Leslie Jamison, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The company’s social-media posts seem to be aimed at Monday-hating, coffee-drinking workers who might log in to Zoom meetings from disastrously messy rooms or prefer to be outside, playing with buddies (or toys), rather than reporting to an office.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2025
The pair dominated the tabloids, especially during their messy 1994 divorce.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
The White House and Kemp have aimed to avoid a messy primary and have engaged with each other on the best approaches.
—Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messy. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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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