messier; messiest
1
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
a messy room
3
: extremely unpleasant or trying
messy lawsuits
a messy divorce
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 show’s messy web of care and connection is entertaining and funny.
—
David E. Tolchinsky, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2025
Plus, Sherman-Palladino and Palladino were amenable to her perspective on Geneviève, an overburdened, passionate woman with a messy personal life.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
The answer turned out to be an inversion of sorts — Kate ended up with a lot of comics Clint’s beats, including Lucky, the Pizza Dog, the messy apartment, and the fun trick arrows.
—Nola Pfau, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Suddenly, Zoom calls exposed our kids, pets and messy living rooms.
—Patricia Nagy, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David E. Tolchinsky, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2025
Plus, Sherman-Palladino and Palladino were amenable to her perspective on Geneviève, an overburdened, passionate woman with a messy personal life.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
The answer turned out to be an inversion of sorts — Kate ended up with a lot of comics Clint’s beats, including Lucky, the Pizza Dog, the messy apartment, and the fun trick arrows.
—Nola Pfau, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
Suddenly, Zoom calls exposed our kids, pets and messy living rooms.
—Patricia Nagy, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messy. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
messy
adjective
messier; messiest
1
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
2
: extremely unpleasant or trying
messy lawsuits
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share