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

The couple split in 2023 with the dispute expanding over the following year into a messy and public ordeal. —Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 24 Jan. 2025

Biology is complex and messy, and often defies easy categorization. —Alex Knapp, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

That’s now ancient history — the couple has split, and even settled claims and counter-claims when the split got messy. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025

Gently rolling acreage unfolds like a necessary conversation—a little messy at times but deeply satisfying. —Sara James Mnookin, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2025

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