messy

adjective

ˈme-sē 

messier; messiest

1

: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy

a messy room

2

: lacking neatness or precision : careless, slovenly

messy thinking

3

: extremely unpleasant or trying

messy lawsuits

a messy divorce

messily

ˈme-sə-lē 

adverb

messiness

ˈme-sē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• chaotic
• cluttered
• confused
• disarranged
• disarrayed
• disheveled
• dishevelled
• disordered
• disorderly
• higgledy-piggledy
• hugger-mugger
• jumbled
• littered
• messed
• muddled
• mussed
• mussy
• pell-mell
• rumpled
• sloppy
• topsy-turvy
• tousled
• tumbled
• unkempt
• untidy
• upside-down

Examples of messy in a Sentence

Painting a room can be messy work.

Some kinds of glue are messier than others.

a delicious but messy sandwich

Recent Examples on the Web

Cleaning it out can be a messy and hand-cramping process, so enlist the help of some power tools to help get the job done much faster. —Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

My brother also joked about a secret anti-list for their kids to avoid getting terribly messy or noisy toys. —Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024

So give yourself a round of applause when being extra and messy. —Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 21 Oct. 2024

For example, the applicant started with the image of her messy desk and told stories about accomplishments, hobbies, and skills that were evidenced in that space. —Kristen Moon, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

messy

adjective

ˈmes-ē 

messier; messiest

1

: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy

2

: extremely unpleasant or trying

messy lawsuits

messily

ˈmes-ə-lē 

adverb

messiness

ˈmes-ē-nəs 

noun