1
as in havoc
a state in which everything is out of order
the bachelor party had left the house in a total mess
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in meal
food eaten or prepared for eating at one time
a mess of oatmeal
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
as in loads
a considerable amount
an unexpected Super Bowl loss that unleashed a whole mess of finger-pointing and second-guessing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to interfere
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
please don't mess with me while I'm trying to concentrate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of mess
Joe Reid, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
One morning of frost will turn five-foot-tall dahlia plants into a mess of black, soggy foliage.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025
George Ramsay, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The last two seasons have proven that the team starts off slow, which ends up messing their chances of making the playoffs.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess
Noun
But objectively speaking, the trailer looked a mess, with Emma Mackey getting lost in a confusing swirl of characters (her father!
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
One morning of frost will turn five-foot-tall dahlia plants into a mess of black, soggy foliage.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
The internet already messed her up pretty good.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The last two seasons have proven that the team starts off slow, which ends up messing their chances of making the playoffs.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess
Noun
-
Texas Tech started slow in Manhattan, but the dam eventually broke due to Tech’s havoc-wreaking defense.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The real reason is to wreak as much havoc as humanly possible, or at least that’s what we’re given to believe from the way the hostess swans about while deftly manipulating dozens of puppet strings simultaneously.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This creamy take on chicken noodle soup will be your family's new favorite comfort meal.—
Phoebe Evans,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Thought to be named after Japan’s Mount Fuji by genre pioneer Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister in the 1960s, fújì took cues from the wéré music played during Ramadan to wake and entertain Muslims for the Sahur meal before dawn.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
True to form, Anderson arrived in her now-signature bare-faced look, with no trace of makeup in sight.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The mere sight of IKEA instruction manuals causes my eyes to glaze over, to say nothing of home COVID tests.—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
All loads easier than wrangling an ungainly bird half the table doesn’t really much care for anyway (what?—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The value of walnuts spiked last year after cratering in the years prior, but relatively small loads of walnuts still sell for modest prices.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, the trouble starts when governments interfere and tell funds to invest too much at home, which breaks the delicate balance that fund managers have calculated between risk and reward, said Sébastien Betermier, executive director at the International Centre for Pension Management (ICPM).—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
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And because the actuation frequencies (between 1 and 100 kilohertz) are far below those used for clinical imaging (between 1 and 20 megahertz), the two functions don’t interfere.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Shea Moisture Define & Shine Edge Gel slicks my edges back without snatching them to hell.—
Kayla Greaves,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
-
That's hell for a kid to see that.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
For dinner, the creative tasting menu at Mexican restaurant Autor offers the chefs an opportunity to showcase their heritage, while Kengai’s Asian menu is inspired by the Japanese Izakaya tradition of sharing dishes.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
5 Nov. 2025
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Kicking off the third quarter, McDonald's Snack Wraps returned to menus for the first time in nine years.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Audiences just can’t get enough of films that offer frights and scares, or even family-friendly flicks that pay homage to spooky season.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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Horror anthologies are a tradition in British cinema, and this collection of bite-sized frights is the granddaddy of them all.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Video
Hot Mess
Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings
Cite this Entry
“Mess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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