as in mess
a state in which everything is out of order
a professional chef would not tolerate such messiness in the kitchen
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Recent Examples of messiness
And after Kamala Harris got their presidential nomination without a primary, plenty of Democrats welcome that messiness.
—
Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Better Broken sees her grappling with the messiness of humanity, the life-affirming act of overcoming challenges and coming back to herself.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
The choice is not between going forward or going back, but between working with the complexity of human and natural realities, in all their organic messiness, or pretending those realities do not exist.
—Paul Kingsnorth, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Hirschhorn’s Josh manages to be endearing even when the character’s messiness and selfishness overwhelm him.
—Chad Jones, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
As well as being a bold reimagining, The Roses puts a refreshing twist on the pressures of success and the trappings of modern life, the risks of making our careers our identity, and the messiness of modern relationships and family.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The coming-of-age drama does a great job at capturing the messiness of young love, but off-screen, several of the cast members are in happy, long-term relationships.
—Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
So, the Jays can put Monday’s messiness behind them.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
So what would a 16 task be in terms of messiness?
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2025
Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Better Broken sees her grappling with the messiness of humanity, the life-affirming act of overcoming challenges and coming back to herself.
—Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
The choice is not between going forward or going back, but between working with the complexity of human and natural realities, in all their organic messiness, or pretending those realities do not exist.
—Paul Kingsnorth, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Hirschhorn’s Josh manages to be endearing even when the character’s messiness and selfishness overwhelm him.
—Chad Jones, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
As well as being a bold reimagining, The Roses puts a refreshing twist on the pressures of success and the trappings of modern life, the risks of making our careers our identity, and the messiness of modern relationships and family.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The coming-of-age drama does a great job at capturing the messiness of young love, but off-screen, several of the cast members are in happy, long-term relationships.
—Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
So, the Jays can put Monday’s messiness behind them.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
So what would a 16 task be in terms of messiness?
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messiness
Noun
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Bissell Featherweight Cordless Stick Vacuum The vacuum also converts into a handheld device, which is a total game changer for cleaning above-floor messes, couch cushions, baseboards, and spots where my apartment loves to collect dust bunnies.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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Compression Packing Cubes Tripped Large Packing Cube Set Compression packing cubes save so much space and keep your suitcase from becoming a mess by day two.—
Julie Rousseau,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In the midst of the life-or-death chaos, Arisu grows closer to Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya), an athletic loner mourning the death of her mountain climber father.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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Continue reading … GAVELED OUT – Democrat lunges at chairman's gavel as immigration hearing descends into chaos.—
,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
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Baker also leads the orchestra, which sounds grand — although the sound in the arts center’s Pugh Theater often left musicians, lead singers and chorus all at the same level, with actors speaking over all of it at the same time to create a sonic jumble.—
Matthew J. Palm,
Orlando Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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And although police have uncovered networks seeking to cause havoc after the election, the fear is that authorities will not be able to expose them all.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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Officials also warned of the havoc the network could have caused if left intact.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But this caused even more confusion.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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But, investigators found there was too much confusion over the interpretation of the rule.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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After all, whether or not hell is real, murder surely is.—
Ed Simon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
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The protagonist's youth doesn't defang the story, as Silent Hill f wastes no time thrusting Hinako and her friends into their personal hells.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Messiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messiness. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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