Synonyms of messy

messy

adjective

ˈme-sē 

as in chaotic

lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness

having a messy room is virtually de rigueur for a college student

Synonyms & Similar Words

• chaotic
• sloppy
• cluttered
• confused
• jumbled
• littered
• filthy
• messed
• dirty
• untidy
• shaggy
• stained
• tangled
• wrinkled
• muddled
• tumbled
• unkempt
• disorderly
• disheveled
• disordered
• nasty
• dishevelled
• disarrayed
• rumpled
• tousled
• disarranged
• out of joint
• mussy
• mussed
• knotted
• blackened
• higgledy-piggledy
• topsy-turvy
• at sixes and sevens
• grimy
• smudged
• mucky
• upside-down
• pell-mell
• spotted
• grubby
• unclean
• squalid
• hugger-mugger
• dingy
• slovenly
• grungy
• soiled
• polluted
• contaminated
• foul
• uncombed
• uncleanly
• grotty
• sullied
• bedraggled
• begrimed
• frowzy
• cruddy
• neglected
• draggled
• slatternly
• dowdy
• neglectful
• sordid
• frowsy
• shabby
• snarled
• tainted
• sloven
• negligent
• adulterated
• befouled
• besmirched
• bemired
• seedy
• sleazy
• defiled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• neat
• orderly
• tidy
• organized
• clean
• uncluttered
• cleaned
• crisp
• trim
• well-ordered
• hygienic
• systematic
• spotless
• kempt
• shipshape
• immaculate
• sparkling
• ordered
• stainless
• cleanly
• regular
• unsullied
• antiseptic
• careful
• snug
• methodical
• spick-and-span
• unsoiled
• tidied
• meticulous
• systematized
• methodic
• finicky
• fussy
• neatened
• fastidious
• spic-and-span
• bandbox
• manicured
• wholesome
• groomed
• combed
• unpolluted
• untainted
• undefiled
• well-groomed
• taintless

Examples of messy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The United States electric grid is a messy patchwork of thousands of local utilities, many of which are for-profit businesses governed by a complex web of policies and regulations. —Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 15 Aug. 2024

For the better part of its previous seasons, Emily in Paris has centered on the messy love triangle between Emily (Lily Collins) and her friends, achingly cool French couple Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and Camille (Camille Razat). —Cady Lang, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024

Get The Recipe 07 of 20 Blackberry Pie A messy slice of summery fruit pies will always remind us days at Grandma's house. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 15 Aug. 2024

Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my sisters smearing the messy red specks of Old Bay like sand art on the long sheets of butcher paper that covered the tables at church and other community crab feasts. —Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2024