Messy | Definition of messy by Merriam-Webster

Full Definition of MESSY

1

: marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt : untidy <a messy room>

2

: lacking neatness or precision : careless, slovenly

3

: extremely unpleasant or trying <messy lawsuits>

— mess·i·ly \ˈme-sə-lē\ adverb

— mess·i·ness \ˈme-sē-nəs\ noun

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1843

Synonyms: chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled (or dishevelled), disordered, disorderly, higgledy-piggledy, hugger-mugger, jumbled, littered, messed, muddled, mussed, mussy, pell-mell, rumpled, sloppy, topsy-turvy, tousled, tumbled, unkempt, untidy, upside-down, at sixes and sevens, out of joint

Antonyms: bandbox, crisp, kempt, neat, neatened, ordered, orderly, organized, shipshape, snug, tidied, tidy, trim, uncluttered, well-ordered

1

: not clean or tidy <a messy room>

2

: causing or making a mess <a messy art project>

3

: not careful or precise <messy writing>

— mess·i·ness \ˈme-sē-nəs\ noun

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