Showing results for "hot mess"

hot mess

American

noun

Slang.

a person or thing that is a mess, as in being disorganized, confused, or untidy, yet remains attractive or appealing.

He’s a hot mess when he wakes up in the morning!

Usage

What does hot mess mean? Hot mess is used to describe a particularly disorganized person or chaotic situation. In some uses, a person described as a hot mess is attractive but just barely keeping it together.

Etymology

Origin of hot mess

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

hot mess

“Already a hot mess, no matter what happens.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Investors are demanding higher rates when they buy long-duration bonds because there is less demand, higher supply and a hot mess of policy uncertainty.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

And that’s where we are at: a hot mess.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Ambassador Fried says last week's 28-point US plan was a "hot mess" but that the impetus behind it is real.

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

I’m saying that because he’s a hot mess.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023