MESSED Synonyms: 158 Similar and Opposite Words

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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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

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

Adjective

Whether that promise survives contact with the messy, unsupervised way people actually use chatbots — typing symptoms into a phone in the middle of the night, hoping for reassurance rather than a referral — is a separate question.

— Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
After a messy eight minutes, the remaining corn dog sticks and leftover food were tallied up for each contestant.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2026

Definition of messy

Adjective

The hub of the spaceship was too crowded and chaotic for communication, so Frank Kuligowski motioned his pal to the peace of a nearby corridor.

— Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 26 July 2026
The first day used to be so chaotic and humorous in the old days, with players not knowing how to put on helmets let alone figure out shoulder pads and struggling in line drills.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 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

Instead, the calls were about, for example, a homeless person who fell asleep in a store, a person who seemed confused in a public park, and someone who was yelling at passersby on the street.

— Scott Maucione, NPR, 27 July 2026
These are questions to raise confidence levels among United fans, rather than confused eyebrows.

— Carl Anka, New York Times, 25 July 2026

Definition of confused

Verb

Before McDaniel’s first NFL game, one Vikings defender aggressively poked his left eye in practice.

— Alec Lewis, New York Times, 24 July 2026
It’s now understood that Russia in 2016 poked the election systems in all 50 states to check what protections were in place and accessed—but did not change—some very local registration rosters in Florida and Illinois.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 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

Cite this Entry

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“Messed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of messed

adjective

verb

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