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

The story centers on two ex-lovers who come back into each other’s lives after spending decades apart, only to find old feelings stirring with messy and mixed results. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

The lawsuit marks another front in a fight stemming from the Golden Globes’ messy divorce from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group of non-American journalists that founded the awards show in 1943. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026

Indeed, this wasn’t the only episode that featured the messy, minimalist hairstyle; the look was favored across the six-season show, which premiered in 2007, and seen on a slew of characters. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Notifications are powerful, but messy, with phone and laptop notifications mixed together. — Dominic Preston, The Verge, 12 Oct. 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