messier; messiest
1
a
: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy
a messy room
b
: likely to create a mess
a messy task/hobby
messy paint
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
Here's where this case gets even messier.
—
Megan De Mar, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Despite messy road conditions around Boston following Sunday’s winter storm, the crowd at TD Garden was near capacity.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Still, for anyone who escaped a small town, there’s plenty to relate to in this messy dramedy, driven by nostalgia and the emotional weight of going home.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
The politics of that are unfortunately messy, but the law is not.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for messy
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Megan De Mar, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Despite messy road conditions around Boston following Sunday’s winter storm, the crowd at TD Garden was near capacity.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Still, for anyone who escaped a small town, there’s plenty to relate to in this messy dramedy, driven by nostalgia and the emotional weight of going home.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
The politics of that are unfortunately messy, but the law is not.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for messy
Cite this Entry
“Messy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messy. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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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