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 adverb
messiness noun

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 In fact, their online experience is likely to get messier at first. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 In the show — basically a flatshare sitcom with a twist — Tyers plays 20-something Jen, who is messy, funny and the only person in the world without a superpower. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 The job was messy because recent rains had created a muddy scene for the volunteers who had to collect the bunnies, most of which had matted fur. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 These shows have been both popular and received with hostility, in what feels like a return to earlier, messier eras of popular culture. Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 That data is messy and imperfect but better than data from other conflicts, says Spiegel. Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 Luxurious, comfortable sheet cakes are the moment: a little messy, sold ad hoc by the slice or the cake, made in home kitchens. Annemarie Dooling, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 That title suffered due to a messy rollout, which saw hundreds of thousands of copies illegally downloaded after the studio effort was initially only made available on Tidal. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 With that comes messy roadways and some special city ordinances. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'messy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of messy was in 1627

Dictionary Entries Near messy

Cite this Entry

“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

messy

adjective
messier; messiest
1
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
2
: extremely unpleasant or trying
messy lawsuits
messily adverb
messiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on messy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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