as in chaotic
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
having a messy room is virtually de rigueur for a college student
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of messy
Stores are complicated, messy and risky.
—
Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
But in a messy world, with all those unpredictable X factors, leaders would do better to foster ingenuity, grit, and perseverance.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
An elegant entryway should be brightly lit with warm lighting and shouldn't resemble a messy closet.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Jan. 2026
Boeing got some price target hikes from analysts, including those at Citi, after yesterday's messy but incrementally better quarter and outlook on the turnaround.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for messy
Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
But in a messy world, with all those unpredictable X factors, leaders would do better to foster ingenuity, grit, and perseverance.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
An elegant entryway should be brightly lit with warm lighting and shouldn't resemble a messy closet.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Jan. 2026
Boeing got some price target hikes from analysts, including those at Citi, after yesterday's messy but incrementally better quarter and outlook on the turnaround.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for messy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messy
Adjective
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While navigating Westport by car or on foot is chaotic right now, the goal is to prevent destruction in the future.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
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Lazy Susans and magnetic spice racks turn chaotic fridges and spice shelves into functional spaces.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As the most populous and sprawling county in the state, Fulton has often been tagged by Republicans as the bad egg among elections offices for its past record of long lines, late returns and sloppy bookkeeping.—
Patricia Murphy,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Officials say the scammers' schemes range from the savvy to the sloppy -- and all are brazen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Storage Ottomans The living room can get cluttered quickly, so an ottoman is a great way to discreetly organize blankets, pillows, toys, or other items strewn around the room.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 Jan. 2026
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In autonomous tests, the robot unscrews bottle caps, extracts individual pills from organizers despite occlusion, dispenses precise syringe volumes under variable resistance, and selects small metal parts from cluttered containers.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Archaeologists were completely confused.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
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Your children do not need parents who are confused about the status of their relationship.—
Jann Blackstone,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Instead of leaving a jumbled mess of cords and devices on the counter, try a dedicated charging drawer.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
21 Jan. 2026
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Perhaps whoever comes in — either as the full interim rather than the pre-interim, or the actual full-time appointment, whenever that is — will figure out a way to make this expensive but jumbled squad work.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Sauron was bested by some filthy Hobbitses and their pal, Gollum.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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Slightly less filthy than the ones on the balcony, those bricks could have used a coat of paint.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messy. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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