messy
Americanadjective
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characterized by a dirty, untidy, or disordered condition.
a messy room.
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causing a mess.
a messy recipe; messy work.
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embarrassing, difficult, or unpleasant.
a messy political situation.
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characterized by moral or psychological confusion.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of messy
Explanation
Messy things are sloppy, disorganized, or dirty. Your messy room isn't bothering anyone but you — but your messy clothes might not be appropriate for your cousin's formal wedding. When a house is messy, it's cluttered and untidy — there might be clothes on the floor or dishes on the table and counters. A messy notebook could be jammed with papers in no particular order, and a child's messy face may very well be covered with chocolate ice cream. Messy dates from the 1840s, and its figurative meaning, "unethical" or "confused," like a messy divorce, came along in the 1920s.
Vocabulary lists containing messy
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.
An update in Google’s Keep notes app organizes messy free-flowing thoughts into orderly notes.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
“It’s always gonna be messy and we’re gonna miss things. But what we liked about 1976 is that it coincides with the release of the Ramones’ first album.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
It's a messy picture, so what are the possible scenarios in the coming weeks?
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Looking at his police file, I can hardly read the signature over his statement; his name is illegible, scrawled and messy, like that of a boy.
From Slate • May 12, 2026
There, she put away her wings, and after throwing her hair back up into a messy bun, she was human again.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
