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
The film had transformed from the messy, illogical version I’d first seen into a hilarious, shrewd, contemplative work of art.
—
Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2025
Integrating such a messy light source into a silicon photonics chip required careful engineering.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
Among McCrary’s legal troubles was his messy divorce battle with ex-wife Tammy Brawner after their 2017 filing.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
In the wake of a messy divorce, a writer wanders the world in search of meaning and passion in this loose adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s popular memoir.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
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Susan Orlean, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2025
Integrating such a messy light source into a silicon photonics chip required careful engineering.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
Among McCrary’s legal troubles was his messy divorce battle with ex-wife Tammy Brawner after their 2017 filing.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
In the wake of a messy divorce, a writer wanders the world in search of meaning and passion in this loose adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s popular memoir.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 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 16 Oct. 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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