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.
In real life, most jobs are very messy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
Having waded through a messy, money-charged divorce myself, I know that the story your spouse tells about you is not the story you would tell about yourself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026
About 30 previous categories returned, including the Allison Williams Cool Girl Award, which was given to “Summer House’s” Ciara Miller, who continues riding high following her messy and highly publicized breakup.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Markets may soon have to grapple with another media M&A battle, just months after the end of the messy Warner Bros.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
Joe tossed the comic book he was reading into the messy pile beside him.
From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon
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.
