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
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.
As someone who’s trying to clear out space on their bar cart, having a ton of bottles to make one drink isn’t fun and can also just be messy. Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024 In recent years, former top officials in NASA’s human-spaceflight program have taken jobs at SpaceX. In the meantime, though, more SpaceX flights—and more power for Musk—could be messy, or even dangerous. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024 It’s beautifully designed, but its hardware still somehow fails to actually take the practical realities of our dirty, messy world into account. Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 2 Nov. 2024 And despite a messy launch disrupted by the election, extreme weather events and a media business in freefall, broadcast has reason to feel a little pep in its step. Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for messy 

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 30 Nov. 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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