hot mess
Americannoun
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.
Since the start of the Iran war, the conventional wisdom has been that the whole thing is a hot mess.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026
Nikki is a hot mess who knows exactly what needs to be done.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2025
The film closes with a Vance voice-over explaining that “we choose every day who we become,” a statement that feels like it is pointed directly at the “choices” of hot mess Bev.
From Salon • Jul. 20, 2024
There’s also a tired sameness to Mack’s whole cool girl/hot mess routine, which I think is supposed to be interesting because it’s a different variety of hot mess from regular girls.
From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2024
But let’s be real: Your mom saying you’re a good rapper is like your mom saying you’re cute when you look a hot mess.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
