Synonyms of mess

mess 1 of 2

noun

ˈmes 

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

• havoc
• hell
• jumble
• chaos
• confusion
• disarray
• disorder
• messiness
• tangle
• heck
• disorganization
• shambles
• disarrangement
• muddle
• muss
• clutter
• disorderliness
• snake pit
• free-for-all
• riot
• dishevelment
• tumble
• welter
• maze
• anarchy
• misorder
• chance-medley
• labyrinth
• disorderedness
• mare's nest
• snarl
• misrule
• lawlessness
• maelstrom
• web
• mishmash
• shuffle
• knot
• storm
• hodgepodge
• litter
• morass
• motley
• medley
• bollix
• miscellany

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• order
• system
• plan
• orderliness
• method
• pattern

2

as in meal

food eaten or prepared for eating at one time

a mess of oatmeal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• meal
• menu
• feed
• table
• dinner
• repast
• chow
• lunch
• supper
• feast
• buffet
• banquet
• breakfast
• refection
• board
• snack
• tea
• smorgasbord
• taste
• refreshments
• serving
• collation
• bite
• luncheon
• gulp
• fry
• picnic
• roast
• bake
• potluck
• morsel
• cookout
• barbecue
• spread
• fry-up
• clambake
• regale
• luau

3

as in sight

something unpleasant to look at

the car was a mess after the accident

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sight
• fright
• horror
• stain
• eyesore
• smudge
• monstrosity
• hideosity
• spot
• smear
• blot
• eye-catcher

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• vision

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

• loads
• deal
• plenty
• ton
• pile
• bunch
• dozen
• slew
• lot
• chunk
• quantity
• wealth
• bundle
• stack
• raft
• abundance
• heap
• good deal
• myriad
• quite a bit
• hundred
• all kinds (of)
• bucket
• pack
• yard
• gobs
• mountain
• pot
• multiplicity
• volume
• boatload
• profusion
• mass
• sight
• much
• truckload
• barrel
• store
• wad
• carload
• potful
• fistful
• shipload
• sheaf
• plateful
• bushel
• reams
• peck
• plague
• flood
• oodles
• plenitude
• spate
• basketful
• scads
• lashings
• passel
• thousands
• surplus
• rash
• excess
• embarrassment
• score
• plentitude
• epidemic
• overkill
• overflow
• sea
• multitude
• overabundance
• redundancy
• swarm
• bonanza
• deluge
• plethora
• oversupply
• crowd
• superabundance
• host
• army
• throng
• superfluity
• flock
• surfeit
• horde
• overage
• crush
• cram
• herd
• million
• press
• bevy
• overmuch
• drove
• mob
• legion
• zillion
• gazillion
• trillion
• jillion
• kazillion

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strain
• bit
• touch
• taste
• spot
• suspicion
• streak
• shadow
• mouthful
• scrap
• lick
• speck
• hint
• handful
• pinch
• trace
• fragment
• sprinkling
• shade
• peanuts
• grain
• mite
• whit
• pittance
• particle
• molecule
• ounce
• glimmer
• shred
• scruple
• tad
• sprinkle
• dab
• atom
• ray
• ace
• dot
• nip
• crumb
• dram
• modicum
• little
• granule
• drop
• mote
• jot
• iota
• section
• tittle
• dash
• smattering
• piece
• portion
• scintilla
• lack
• smidgen
• absence
• shot
• shortage
• driblet
• fleck
• morsel
• poverty
• flyspeck
• want
• deficit
• scarcity
• nubbin
• deficiency
• smatter
• paucity
• famine
• inadequacy
• insufficiency
• dearth
• undersupply
• meagerness
• scantness
• scantiness
• skimpiness
• scarceness

mess

2 of 2

verb

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

• interfere
• snoop
• poke
• meddle
• intervene
• intrude
• butt in
• intermeddle
• muck (about or around)
• pry
• obtrude
• nose
• interlope
• fool
• intercede
• invade
• trespass
• encroach
• fiddle
• tamper
• play
• monkey
• infringe
• interpose
• chisel (in)
• barge (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoid
• ignore
• disregard
• neglect
• shun
• overlook
• eschew

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mess

Noun

Leave covered, wait a sufficient time (at least 24 hours to be safe), and then dispose of the ashes without making a mess. — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 4 July 2026

Pack up a delicious picnic lunch, with lots of easy on-the-go snacks (one fun idea is resealable bags of your kid's favorite cereal—the perfect balance of sweet and crunchy, minus the mess, for a great outdoor treat). — Holly Lebowitz Rossi, Parents, 2 July 2026

Verb

Ships, like airplanes, are designed with fluid dynamics in mind, and biofoul seriously messes that up. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

With his team one win from the national championship, Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson won’t mess with success. — Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026

Phrases Containing mess

• mess (up)
• mess (with)
• mess around
• mess over

Video

Hot Mess

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings