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
That little girl who always had a messy room can now live for a week out of carry-on luggage.
—
Carin Ryan, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2025
As with the deceptive home robot demos, there is a difference between the ideal version of a task and the messy reality of putting humanoids to work in commercial settings.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
The hiring process is a major preview of workplace culture; if what is represented on the outside is messy, candidates imagine that what’s going on inside likely is too.
—Neil Costa, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2025
There is still a lot of time to iron out the details, so stay tuned, but return travel could be a little messy.
—Joseph Dames, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
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Carin Ryan, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2025
As with the deceptive home robot demos, there is a difference between the ideal version of a task and the messy reality of putting humanoids to work in commercial settings.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
The hiring process is a major preview of workplace culture; if what is represented on the outside is messy, candidates imagine that what’s going on inside likely is too.
—Neil Costa, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2025
There is still a lot of time to iron out the details, so stay tuned, but return travel could be a little messy.
—Joseph Dames, CBS News, 21 Nov. 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 30 Nov. 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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