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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of messy
Other damages included dirty towels left in unusual places, the refrigerator door left open, and a generally messy home that took nearly twice as long to clean.
—
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
This can get messy, so use a towel or drop cloth to reduce the mess.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
Conclusions within our own galaxy are messy.
—Adam Frank, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Baldoni had long tried to involve the 14-time Grammy winner in his messy lawsuit with Lively.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
This can get messy, so use a towel or drop cloth to reduce the mess.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
Conclusions within our own galaxy are messy.
—Adam Frank, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Baldoni had long tried to involve the 14-time Grammy winner in his messy lawsuit with Lively.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messy
Adjective
-
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg dropped a bombshell on Democrats last week, one lost in the chaotic news cycle following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Surveillance video obtained by Fox News shows the chaotic moments when ICE agents took cover and protected detainees as gunfire rained down on them from outside a Dallas facility Wednesday morning.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Brooke Taylor,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
An overstuffed tracklist and slightly sloppy sequencing prevent the record from fully realizing its potential, but over the course of an hour-plus, Cardi sufficiently reminds us why the crown was hers to return for in the first place.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Demonstrate the discipline necessary to eliminate sloppy turnovers and other careless plays, like the penalties.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Continuous operation, robust error recovery, and adaptation to cluttered, dynamic human spaces have not been demonstrated publicly.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Reduce rodent habitat around your home, workplace, and recreational areas by removing brush, rock piles, junk, cluttered firewood and possible rodent food supplies.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Italian journalist Federica Polidoro asked, drawing a range of confused and amused reactions from the three stars.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
-
In the background of the video, a confused looking Howlett can be seen standing by in an identical long sleeve shirt as the one the actor is wearing.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And the free options just make life harder with jumbled formatting.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
-
But a patchwork of injunctions that have yet to reach the justices remain in place, creating a jumbled situation that keeps reductions at specific agencies on ice.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Unitree claims that the G1 is made to handle difficult, filthy, and repetitive jobs in a variety of settings, including at homes, factories, and hospitals.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Josh O’Connor, at his filthy best, plays a disillusioned ’70s suburban dad married to Alana Haim and vaguely fathering a pair of pathologically chatty sons as the Vietnam War and its attendant protests color the world around them.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messy. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share