as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
came home to find a messed basement with his tools scattered about
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of messed
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
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2026
Because there are some things that just can't be messed with.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Apr. 2026
Escarra messed with the torpedoes in 2025, but never committed.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
The models who went all the way were the ones who ceded to Banks’s worldview, who agreed to have their hair dyed and their teeth messed with and their bodies altered.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
As Nikki, a veteran killing machine, Jovovich is one mother not to be messed with.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Wedding tradition in the South is nothing to be messed with.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
In her fifty-seven years of wandering, nobody had messed with her.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The internet already messed her up pretty good.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
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
The Rock Hall just messed this one up.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2026
Because there are some things that just can't be messed with.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Apr. 2026
Escarra messed with the torpedoes in 2025, but never committed.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
The models who went all the way were the ones who ceded to Banks’s worldview, who agreed to have their hair dyed and their teeth messed with and their bodies altered.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
As Nikki, a veteran killing machine, Jovovich is one mother not to be messed with.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Wedding tradition in the South is nothing to be messed with.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
In her fifty-seven years of wandering, nobody had messed with her.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The internet already messed her up pretty good.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed
Adjective
-
Wheatley isn’t a sudden-twitch mover and the tackling can get messy, but the size, awareness and ability to play deep, in the slot or around the box should keep him in the Day 2 conversation.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
A lot of the case seemed to come down to disorganization and messy paperwork.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But a thing called the Civil War interfered.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
During the arrest, a large crowd surrounded officers and interfered by yelling profanities and racial slurs, police said.—
Robert A. Cronkleton
March 30,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But overall, humanoid robots still have a long way to go in demonstrating their capability to operate in complex and sometimes chaotic environments.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In Silky Smooth, Liao explores the chaotic stages of adulthood, scheduling fun plans with tired friends, the unfair treatment of single people, being attracted to silly men, and the fear of being a role model to her pretend children.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Untrustworthy employees There have been cases where employees at security companies snooped through camera feeds.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
It gets filled by outside forces, many of whom have foreign ties and understand that a confused and misinformed public is easier to manipulate than an informed one.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The second is that Trump, as strategist-in-chief, keeps giving his negotiators objectives so implausible, confused or contradictory that even the wiliest diplomats in history — a Klemens von Metternich in the 19th century, say, or a Henry Kissinger in the 20th — would come up empty.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Lakers guard reached and poked the ball away.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The couple poked fun at the social media conversation surrounding them in an Instagram Reel.—
Athena Sobhan,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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
Adjective
-
Ludvig Aberg swapped out some sloppy mistakes at the Masters with pure iron play at Harbour Town in warm, swirling wind that produced an 8-under 63 for a one-shot lead Thursday in the RBC Heritage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Needing a win to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2018, the Ducks lost a sloppy 4-3 overtime decision to the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL’s worst team, leaving them a point shy of the playoffs with two games to play.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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