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hot mess

American  

noun

Slang.
  1. 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.

It took you a moment because I was a hot mess.

From Los Angeles Times

You weren’t a hot mess, but I didn’t see it coming.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From BBC

“To call France a ‘hot mess’ would be an understatement extraordinaire,” Yardeni Research founder Ed Yardeni wrote in a note on Oct.

From Barron's

Jude Law and Jason Bateman co-star in Netflix’s New York-set crime thriller, with Law as the owner of a hot restaurant and Bateman as his hot mess of a brother.

From Los Angeles Times