messy

adjective

ˈme-sē 

messier; messiest

1

a

: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy

a messy room

b

: likely to create a mess

a messy task/hobby

messy paint

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 of messy

• chaotic
• sloppy
• cluttered
• confused
• littered
• jumbled
• filthy

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

Crafted by celebrity hair artist Coree Moreno, her dark brown ends appeared like a messier version of the flapper pixie — shaggy and teased all over. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026

Early use cases for individualized agents have included filing forms to have a pothole filled or messy telephone wires cleaned up, though these human response systems aren’t built to handle a massive uptick in requests. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026

The early days of Paramount's quest for Warner turned into a messy bidding war. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

The move to quickly shut down all locations on Friday saddened some New Yorkers with a sweet tooth and marked the culmination of a feverish growth spurt that included a messy final year for the company and changing consumer habits. — New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for messy

• bessy
• cressy
• dressy
• jesse

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