as in mess
a state in which everything is out of order
a professional chef would not tolerate such messiness in the kitchen
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Recent Examples of messiness
Leaders need the resilience to withstand that messiness while protecting the larger shape of the organization.
—
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
But in the four years since then, he’s gone to jail, fallen out with his former partner-in-rhyme Gunna and made more headlines for being at the center of public messiness than for anything he’s done with his music.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
Readers were quick to weigh in, pointing out that while Ella’s messiness is unfair to the household, her personal choices aren’t necessarily her roommate’s responsibility.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
And after Kamala Harris got their presidential nomination without a primary, plenty of Democrats welcome that messiness.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
The choice is not between going forward or going back, but between working with the complexity of human and natural realities, in all their organic messiness, or pretending those realities do not exist.
—Paul Kingsnorth, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Hirschhorn’s Josh manages to be endearing even when the character’s messiness and selfishness overwhelm him.
—Chad Jones, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
As well as being a bold reimagining, The Roses puts a refreshing twist on the pressures of success and the trappings of modern life, the risks of making our careers our identity, and the messiness of modern relationships and family.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The coming-of-age drama does a great job at capturing the messiness of young love, but off-screen, several of the cast members are in happy, long-term relationships.
—Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
But in the four years since then, he’s gone to jail, fallen out with his former partner-in-rhyme Gunna and made more headlines for being at the center of public messiness than for anything he’s done with his music.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
Readers were quick to weigh in, pointing out that while Ella’s messiness is unfair to the household, her personal choices aren’t necessarily her roommate’s responsibility.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
And after Kamala Harris got their presidential nomination without a primary, plenty of Democrats welcome that messiness.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
The choice is not between going forward or going back, but between working with the complexity of human and natural realities, in all their organic messiness, or pretending those realities do not exist.
—Paul Kingsnorth, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Hirschhorn’s Josh manages to be endearing even when the character’s messiness and selfishness overwhelm him.
—Chad Jones, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
As well as being a bold reimagining, The Roses puts a refreshing twist on the pressures of success and the trappings of modern life, the risks of making our careers our identity, and the messiness of modern relationships and family.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The coming-of-age drama does a great job at capturing the messiness of young love, but off-screen, several of the cast members are in happy, long-term relationships.
—Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messiness
Noun
-
Boaters in Fort Lauderdale will soon be able to skip the mess — and help keep the city’s waterways cleaner — thanks to a new sewage pumpout vessel launching next spring.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
-
But this mess, about a garage band that starts to see a hint of success and is immediately torn apart by the usual rock-movie clichés, never really gets going.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the chaos of a collision, especially one involving fast-moving vehicles, capturing a clear license plate is often impossible.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Almost as suddenly as the whirlwind appears, the entire platform collapses in a fury of flames and chaos.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
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In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Almost serpentine in her shimmering elegance, Thompson’s Hedda glides from room to room wreaking social havoc with her guests, an old lover, and even her husband that will, ultimately, have tragic consequences for all.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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In contrast, effective interplay between James McClean, Doyle and O’Brien down the left was minimal, allowing QPR to dominate that flank, particularly during a first half when Harvey Vale and Rumarn Burrell caused havoc.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The very concept of combining social media with AI assistants caused confusion earlier this year.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
-
That confusion is further reflected by the manic hyper-subjectivity of Bronstein’s filmmaking, which boxes Linda into a close-up so tight that everything around her — especially her unnamed daughter, who almost never appears on screen — might as well be a disembodied echo of her own anxiety.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The sulfurous scent of hell wafted on the sea breeze.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
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Mauser is a man with a dream no one respects, who goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Messiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messiness. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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