messier; messiest
1
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
a messy room
3
: extremely unpleasant or trying
messy lawsuits
a messy divorce
Examples of messy in a Sentence
Painting a room can be messy work.
Some kinds of glue are messier than others.
a delicious but messy sandwich
Recent Examples on the Web
That will mean messy debates over taxes, benefits programs, the debt ceiling and other big-ticket items.
—
Riley Beggin, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025
Grey's Anatomy may have hit its 20th anniversary last month, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for one more medical drama (with messy romances) — and Netflix wants in.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Faithful readers asked me to suggest replacements that wouldn't take 50 years to reach a decent size or cause problems like invasive roots or messy litter.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
If an organization’s data is messy, unstructured or siloed, AI cannot provide meaningful insights.
—Andre Shojaie, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
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Riley Beggin, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025
Grey's Anatomy may have hit its 20th anniversary last month, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for one more medical drama (with messy romances) — and Netflix wants in.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Faithful readers asked me to suggest replacements that wouldn't take 50 years to reach a decent size or cause problems like invasive roots or messy litter.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
If an organization’s data is messy, unstructured or siloed, AI cannot provide meaningful insights.
—Andre Shojaie, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for messy
Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messy. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
messy
adjective
messier; messiest
1
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
2
: extremely unpleasant or trying
messy lawsuits
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