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!

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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

Billions of dirty diapers end up buried or burned every year in Japan -- more from seniors than babies -- but a recycling breakthrough has given them a new lease of life, one hot mess at a time.

From Barron's

I had a hat on and socks mismatched — I was a real hot mess.

From Los Angeles Times

She already thought he was a hot mess.

From Literature

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