messed 1 of 2

adjective

as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness came home to find a messed basement with his tools scattered about

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

messed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of mess
as in interfered
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern please don't mess with me while I'm trying to concentrate

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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 messed
Adjective
Have any of you guys been haunted by the frankly upsetting scene in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in which Circe cooks what can only be described as a very messed up stew? — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026 Tracy Letts plays her perverted husband, while Callum Turner, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage and Riley Keough star as her very messed up children, and Elle Fanning is Bell’s paramour. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 July 2026 By making this register the emotional climax of the season, the show leaves us with the impression that John and Carolyn’s relationship was more messed up than fulfilling or loving. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026 His skin looks all messed up and he's hunched over in pain, hearing noises. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026 The first week or so of February will be a bit messed up because of bright moonlight. — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026 Stagner had seen a lot of messed-up things in his life, from explosives in Iraq wounding fellow Marines to the gruesome aftermath of shootings in Brunswick. — ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025 Similarly, Ehrenreich — who has been building back a very interesting and strong career after taking some unfair critical brickbats along the way — is just terrific as this somewhat messed-up local cop. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
In Argentina, however, the Barras bravas remain a muscular, not-to-be-messed-with presence. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 14 July 2026 The May 23 rainout in New York that messed with their vibe. — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026 Rocky was not to be messed with. — CBS News, 18 June 2026 What is a home, if not something to be messed with? — Joseph Trinidad, Longreads, 16 June 2026 That crash really messed me up. — Michael Hollett, SPIN, 14 June 2026 This man is not to be messed with. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026 This mash-up is not a dish to be messed with. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 17 May 2026 That idea has led to a rigid view that symphonic pieces aren’t to be messed with. — Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed
  1. messy
  2. interfered
  3. chaotic
  4. snooped
  5. confused
  6. poked
  7. littered
  8. sloppy
Adjective
  • Traditional approaches to studying cause-and-effect relationships are often not possible when investigating populations and ecosystems, which are large, complex and messy.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Too many items or mismatched pieces on open shelves and racks can make a room look disorganized and messy.
    — Jolie Kerr, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of messy
Verb
  • Charlotte Flair and Chelsea Green both qualified on television, Green over Kiana James and Flair over Nia Jax by disqualification after Jade Cargill interfered.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • One area where the government interfered rather aggressively in the economy concerned the rates and tariffs the railroads charged.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 1 July 2026
Definition of interfered
Adjective
  • More has been learned about the chaotic moments leading up to Friday's violent disruption at a Midtown synagogue.
    — Allen Devlin, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • In the five years since the chaotic US withdrawal from Kabul and the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan has become home to one of the world’s worst human rights and humanitarian emergencies.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of chaotic
Verb
  • While authorities snooped around, the charity’s fundraising expenses declined, dropping from $384,000 in 2016 to $111,000 in 2017.
    — Dan Alexander, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
  • Untrustworthy employees There have been cases where employees at security companies snooped through camera feeds.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
Definition of snooped
Adjective
  • The agent sitting next to him on the plane also seemed confused.
    — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The Citi Field crowd seemed both confused and enthused when the opening notes of Jackson’s 1982 hit began to play.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of confused
Verb
  • In the 2024 playoffs, Carrington poked Fever phenom Caitlin Clark in the eye.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of poked
Adjective
  • In the past, her songs were so littered with personal details that listening felt voyeuristic.
    — Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Definition of littered
Adjective
  • Detroit got a pair of first-half field goals from Jake Bates on a sloppy night for the offense.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Appeal rates also fell slightly, suggesting faster resolution wasn’t leading to sloppier decisions.
    — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of sloppy

Browse Nearby Words

mess around
messed
messed around
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Cite this Entry

“Messed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of messed for Spanish Speakers

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