as in chaotic
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
having a messy room is virtually de rigueur for a college student
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of messy
Polished and perfect are out, and candid and messy are in.
—
Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2025
But that created a messy, cluttered look more reminiscent of a clearance store.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
But my messy bun is really a messy bun, so don’t laugh too hard!
—Jessica Hartshorn, Flow Space, 17 Oct. 2025
Federline, 47, was married to Spears, 43, from 2004 to 2007, and the two endured a messy custody battle over their sons Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2025
But that created a messy, cluttered look more reminiscent of a clearance store.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
But my messy bun is really a messy bun, so don’t laugh too hard!
—Jessica Hartshorn, Flow Space, 17 Oct. 2025
Federline, 47, was married to Spears, 43, from 2004 to 2007, and the two endured a messy custody battle over their sons Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messy
Adjective
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San Diego’s chaotic shift in city trash service has begun to stabilize, with more customers signing up for new bins and more of the roughly 19,000 property owners who lost city service managing to strike deals with private haulers.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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Her other grands live full, busy and chaotic lives.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Chelsea occasionally bypassed the press with Gusto, a right-back playing in midfield, and captain Reece James interchanging positions, but were not helped by sloppy moments.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
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Or that fixing problems like their sloppy first-quarter defense and stagnant run game — at least for one week — gives reason to believe their floor and ceiling will rise higher as the season progresses.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But that created a messy, cluttered look more reminiscent of a clearance store.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The bright red handle is also easy to spot in your cluttered utensils drawer.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Officers were apparently confused.—
Aida Alami,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
-
One of the artists looked at me a little confused.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While Texas Tech has emerged as the clear favorite to win the conference (-120 odds on BetMGM), the chasing pack is still a jumbled mess.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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And the free options just make life harder with jumbled formatting.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The series does not touch on the tabloid attention that followed the Beckhams in 2004, when it was alleged that David had an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, and the many further accusations of cheating that littered gossip columns after.—
Scarlett Harris,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
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Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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On the other end, Ja’Marr Chase is coming off an absolutely filthy touchdown grab last Sunday.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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For collaborating with British officers while on parole, he was transferred to solitary confinement in a filthy cell.—
Stacy Schiff,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messy. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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