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messy

messy

233 1.0
Not tidy or clean, with things in the wrong place
  • adjective
  • /ˈmɛsi/
translation icon : desordenado
  • His desk is always messy, filled with papers and unorganized supplies.
  • messy and smelly
  • leave the room messy

And it'll be one big fat, messy, ugly paragraph.

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Examples

  • It's amazing how it could get so messy in just a night.

  • Seemed like it was quite a messy divorce process.

  • But that leads to a very messy situation.

  • I think you can kind of see how messy this is.

  • Putting a strategy into action is a difficult and messy challenge for a president.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Reality, as is often the case, lies somewhere in this messy middle ground.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Oh, I'm sorry it's so messy.

  • However, the real world is always far more messy and complex than our theories and expectations about it.

    Academic text (2001)
  • New York's this big, messy place.

  • My kids see me as flawed, messy, and imperfect.

Synonyms

dirty
vsmessy
525 1.0

Not clean or covered with dirt

adds the idea of disorder or lack of neatness beyond soiling
filthy
vsmessy
183 1.5

Very dirty and covered with mud or dirt

is less extreme, meaning simply not neat or clean
sloppy
vsmessy
155 2.0

Untidy and done without care

is the general state of being not neat or orderly
disorganized
vsmessy
  • US
38 3.1

Not in a clear order or plan

is about simple lack of neatness rather than planning issues
cluttered
vsmessy
25 3.0

Full of too many things so it looks messy

includes that crowding but also general unclean conditions
disheveled
vsmessy
21 6.1

Having messy hair, clothes, or things around them

applies more widely to places and objects, not only people
unkempt
vsmessy
13 5.1

Not neat in appearance, often with messy hair or clothes

is a neutral term covering both carelessness and dirtiness
untidy
vsmessy
11 1.0

Not neat, with things like papers or clothes left around

covers both lack of order and lack of cleanliness
in a mess
vsmessy
9 1.6

Something that is untidy and not in order

is the broad label for being untidy or unclean
disordered
vsmessy
7 4.5

Not arranged in a clear or tidy way

is the everyday word for not neat or clean
mucky
vsmessy
7 3.2

Dirty and covered in mud

is broader, including untidiness as well as soiling
disorderly
vsmessy
4 4.5

A place or thing that is untidy and not in order

focuses more on visual untidiness than structural chaos
bedraggled
vsmessy
4 7.0

Dirty and untidy, often wet after being in rain or mud

covers both general untidiness and mild uncleanliness
soiled
vsmessy
1 2.5

Not clean because it has mud or grease on it

is the general condition that may include such staining
mussy
vsmessy
1 7.4

Untidy and dirty, with things out of place

is the general term for being not neat or clean
slobby
vsmessy
  • Informal
1 7.4

Messy and untidy in how a person or place looks

is the neutral description for untidiness without judgement
all mucky
vsmessy
  • Informal
1 3.7

Covered all over with dirt or mud

is the wider everyday term for being not neat or clean
jumbled
vsmessy
3.8

Mixed together in a confused and untidy way

is the general state when things are not neat or ordered
littered
vsmessy
3.0

Covered with rubbish and other things in an untidy way

may describe scattered things but also simple untidiness
matty
vsmessy
8.2

Having hair or fabric that is messy and stuck together in clumps

is the common word for things that are not neat or clean
disty
vsmessy
  • Slang
9.9

Dirty and messy, with things in the wrong places

is the standard neutral word used in everyday speech

Antonyms

1.0

Free from dirt or harmful things

144 1.0

Clean and tidy with things in order

19 2.0

Having things in order so they are easy to find

How Messy

filthy
183 1.5
sloppy
155 2.0
messy
233 1.0
untidy
11 1.0

Surface Forms

messy positive
messier comparative
messiest superlative

Morphology

messy = mess (transparent) = mess + y

The adjective is a regular adjective-forming suffix '-y' added to 'mess', producing the obvious meaning 'characterized by mess'.

Etymology

Messy comes from the noun mess, which long ago meant a 'meal' or the place where people ate, and those places often became untidy, so mess came to mean 'a lot of disorder'. The ending -y turns it into an adjective, so messy means 'dirty or untidy'.